Snapshots Supplementary Reader Chapter 2 The Address

Certainly, these words of Mrs Dorling to the narrator give some clue about the story. Even when the war was not in its full fury, Mrs Dorling visited Mrs S. The narrator was Mrs S’s daughter. Mrs Dorling’s visits were becoming quite frequent. She used to come and went away with one thing or the other. In this way she went away with all the silver cutlery, vases and antique plates. The narrator’s mother had faith in Mrs Dorling but the girl had no faith in her. They had to leave Holland to save their lives. The war was over. Mrs S, the narrator’s mother, was now no longer in the world. She was dead.

The narrator went to 46, Marconi Street to meet Mrs Dorling. She went there in search of her mother’s belongings. She rang the bell. Mrs Dorling came out. She was shocked and surprised to see a young lady standing there. After the war, the narrator came back to her town. She refused to recognize the girl. The girl reminded Mrs Dorling of her mother. Mrs Dorling only uttered : Have you come back?

Naturally, Mrs Dorling didn’t expect Mrs S or her daughter to come back alive. She didn’t ask her to come inside. Her behaviour was cold and unfriendly. Mrs Dorling very unceremoniously turned the narrator away. She asked her to come at another time.

Marga Minco’s short story ‘The Address’ is divided into pre-war and post-war times. Actually, the story begins with the narrator visiting 46, Marconi Street to meet Mrs Dorling. She comes back to her town after the war. Her mother is dead. She goes there in search of her mother’s belongings. Mrs Dorling had taken them away to keep them safe and intact.

However, the narrator takes us back to the first half of the war. Normal life is disturbed. The war affects the life of the narrator and her mother. She notices the presence of Mrs Dorling in her house only during this time. Every time Mrs Dorling leaves her house, she takes away one article or the other. She takes away all the silver cutlery and wares in one go. Then comes the turn of antique plates and vases. The narrator’s mother has faith in Mrs Dorling. She is convinced that all her articles will be safe with her during the war. The narrator is not convinced. She doesn’t have faith in Mrs Dorling.

The post-war scene brings normalcy again. People get bread and bed and they can sleep without fear. But the narrator doesn’t feel at peace. She goes to Mrs Dorling in search of her mother’s belongings. During her first visit to 46, Marconi Street, the narrator receives a very cold and indifferent reception. Mrs Dorling even refuses to recognise her. Her words are self-revealing. Perhaps she never expects Mrs S or her daughter to visit her house alive again after the war.

The narrator of the story, the daughter of Mrs S, wants to forget the address. Actually, the narrator goes to 46, Marconi Street to meet Mrs Dorling. She goes there in search of her mother’s belongings. The narrator’s mother hands over all her articles to Mrs Dorling before leaving her town during the war. Mrs Dorling assures her that they will remain safe in her hands. There is no written agreement. The narrator is not at all convinced with this. She has no faith in Mrs Dorling.

After the war the narrator makes an effort to see Mrs Dorling. But the woman refuses to recognize her. She does not give time to her even for talking. Her uncharitable remarks “Have you come back ?” reveal so many things. Mrs Dorling doesn’t want to receive the narrator. Nor has she any intention of returning the belongings of her dead mother to her. During her second visit, the narrator can’t meet Mrs Dorling. She is not at home. Her daughter is alone in the house. The narrator sees everything there. All the silver cutlery, antique plates and big vases are there. But they are useless now. Their true owner is no more in this world. The narrator resolves never to go there again. She wants to forget the address which is of no use to her now.

Marga Minco’s short story ‘The Address’ describes human predicament that follows war. The war had taken even Holland in its grip. People had no safety of themselves and their property. During the war Mrs S was uprooted. She had to leave the city with her daughter. She handed over all her belongings to Mrs Dorling. All her costly silver cutlery, antique plates and vases were taken away by Mrs Dorling.

At last, the war was over. Things began to return to normalcy. The fear of the war gave place to peace. The narrator’s mother died. She was alone when she came back to her town. She went to Dorling’s house in search of the belongings of her mother. She was received very coldly by Mrs Dorling. She even refused to recognise her. She asked her to come at another time. The war upset the narrator and her family. She was alone to face the world. She had no sympathiser. Mrs Dorling proved ungrateful. She didn’t even acknowledge that she owed anything to the narrator.

The narrator is a young lady. She is the daughter of Mrs S. Her mother Mrs S is no more in this world. The narrator is a sufferer of the war that shook Holland for years. She loses not only all the precious articles and belongings but also their true owner—her mother.

The war proves to be a personal disaster for the narrator. Her mother dies. Before leaving the town her mother hands over all her valuable articles to Mrs Dorling. She assures to keep them in safe custody. Before dying the mother gives the address of Mrs Dorling to her daughter. The narrator goes there in search of her mother’s belongings and to recover them from Mrs Dorling.

Mrs S was the mother of the narrator. The war in Holland proved to be a disaster for her. She was forced to part with all her precious and nice belongings. Mrs Dorling exploited her fear. She assured her that all things would be in her safe hands. But neither Mrs S nor her daughter ever received them again. The poor lady couldn’t survive the war.

Mrs Dorling is some acquaintance of Mrs S, the mother of the narrator. She exploits Mrs S’s fears of the war. She herself insists that Mrs S should hand over all her ‘nice things’ to her. They will remain safe even if they have to leave the place during the war. No, her behaviour can’t be justified. Neither does she entertain nor help the narrator. She even refuses to recognise her. She makes no effort to return those articles to the girl which once belonged to her mother.

Mrs Dorling had given an assurance to Mrs S. She told her that all her ‘nice things would remain intact in her safe hands. Even if they had to leave the place during the war, they would lose nothing. So Mrs Dorling took all the silver ware, vases and antique plates with her. But the narrator didn’t seem to be ‘entirely convinced’. She had no faith in Mrs Dorling. She wanted a written agreement from Mrs Dorling. She was rebuked and silenced by her unsuspecting mother.

It was the first half of the war. The narrator was home for a few days. One thing struck her immediately. Something or the other about the rooms had changed. Various things were missing. Her mother was surprised that her daughter had noticed it so quickly. Then her mother told her about Mrs Dorling. She also told the girl that Mrs Dorling would keep all her belongings safe in her hands during the war.

The war in Holland brought a lot of disturbance. Mrs Dorling exploited Mrs S’s fears during the war. She warned her that if they had to leave to some other place, all ‘nice things of Mrs S would be lost. If handed over to her, they would remain in safe hands. In this way, all the silver cutlery, crockery and antiques were taken away by Mrs Dorling to 46, Marconi Street.

Mrs S, mother of the narrator, gave her the address of Mrs Dorling before dying. The narrator went to her to collect all valuables of her dead mother. The narrator rang the bell. Mrs Dorling herself appeared there. She kept staring at the narrator. She even refused to recognise her. She was wearing the green knitted cardigan of Mrs S. It proved that the narrator was at the right place. Mrs Dorling didn’t even ask the narrator to come inside. She was not happy to find her there. Nor did she mention about the ‘nice things’ which she had taken away from her mother.

The narrator gave the bell. A woman appeared. She was looking at her search-ingly. She refused to recognize the narrator. The narrator felt that she had rung the wrong bell. But soon her doubts were dispelled. The woman was wearing her mother’s green knitted cardigan. Surely, she was Mrs Dorling. The narrator was at the right address.

No, Mrs Dorling’s cold, inhuman and unfriendly behaviour towards the narrator can’t be justified. She even refused to recognize the narrator. She didn’t mention about the belongings of the narrator’s mother. The narrator reminded her that she was the daughter of Mrs S. Mrs Dorling regretted that she could do nothing for her. She even refused to talk to her.

On her second visit, the narrator found all her mother’s belongings in Mrs Dorling’s house. Now Mrs Dorling owned and used them. The silver cutlery was used for daily use. They didn’t even spare the antique plates. They were hanging on the wall. The tablecloth with the burn mark was on the table. The green knitted cardigan of her mother was worn by Mrs Dorling. This shows how mercilessly they were using Mrs S’s ‘nice things’.

No, the 15-year old daughter of Mrs Dorling knew nothing about the ‘nice things’. Once they belonged to the narrator’s mother. She was showing the tea pot with the gold border, the antique plates and the silver cutlery with pride. She knew nothing about Mrs S or how her mother acquired those ‘nice things’. She was totally ignorant about them.

The war came with sufferings and disasters. However, when the war was over things changed for the better. Gradually everything became normal again. Bread was available. The people could sleep in their beds ‘unthreatened’. After the Liberation, life became more relaxed and peaceful.

The narrator had been at Mrs Dorling’s house with her daughter for quite sometime. She was getting late. She was to catch her train. She had no time to stay there waiting for Mrs Dorling. She walked down the passage finding her own way.

The narrator found herself in the midst of all those ‘nice things’. They once belonged to her mother. The silver cutlery, the antique plates, large vases, tea pots, the table cloth with the burn marks were there. But they lay there in a ‘tasteless’ manner. No doubt, they aroused nostalgic feelings in her. The narrator didn’t long to possess them any more. They were useless now. Their true owner was no more in the world.

The narrator came to Mrs Dorling’s house to recollect the belongings of her mother. No doubt, they aroused nostalgic feelings of former times. But she didn’t long to possess them now. Their true owner was no more in the world. It was better to forget them and the uncharitable Mrs Dorling. She also wanted to forget the address which symbolised a tragic past.

Margo Minco has very aptly and logically titled this short story ‘The Address’. The narrator and her mother were victims of the war. The upheaval forced them to be wanderers. They had no permanent address worth the name. All the ‘nice things’ were at No. 46, Marconi Street. They aroused nostalgic feelings of former times. But their true owner was no more in the world. The narrator resolved to forget them and also the address where they lay.

After the war, the narrator came back alone to her town. Her mother, Mrs S, was dead. Before dying, she had told her about Mrs Dorling and her address. Mrs S had also told her how she had left all her belongings in the ‘safe’ hands of Mrs Dorling. The narrator decided to go to Mrs Dorling’s house. She rang the bell and a woman appeared. The woman refused to recognise her. The narrator told her that she was Mrs S’s daughter. The woman stood staring at her. The narrator realised that perhaps she had rung the wrong bell. But soon her doubt was dispelled. The woman was wearing her mother’s green knitted cardigan. No mistake was made. She was at the right address. And the woman was Mrs Dorling. Mrs Dorling regretted that she could do nothing for her. She asked the narrator to come at some other time.

During the next visit Mrs Dorling was not at home. Her fifteen-year old daughter was alone in the house. Now the narrator was in the midst of all those ‘nice things’ that, once belonged to her mother. All the silver cutlery, antique plates, and large vases were there. She was pained to note that they were ‘tastelessly’ arranged and shabbily used. No doubt, those articles aroused nostalgic feelings in her. But their true owner was no more in the world. The narrator resolved to forget them. She also resolved to forget No. 46, Marconi Street. It was the address where all those ‘nice things’ were lying uncared and neglected.

As it generally happens, wars always bring death and destruction. This is exactly what happened in Holland too. The war affected the fortunes of many people. It led to disruption of normal life. Mrs S and her family had to leave their town to go to a safer place. The mother died. When war ended, only the daughter returned home alive to tell her tragic tale.

The narrator takes us back to the first half of the war. She was at home for a few days. She noticed that various things were missing from the rooms. Her mother had told her about a lady named Mrs Dorling. Her mother had handed over all her valuables and ‘nice things’ to Mrs Dorling. The woman assured her that they would be in safe hands during the war. There was no written agreement. Mrs S didn’t seem to doubt Mrs Dorling’s intention. But the narrator was not convinced. Mrs Dorling went away with all the silver cutlery, antique plates, crockery and big vases. Everything went to No. 46, Marconi Street.

Mrs Dorling is an important character of Marga Minco’s short story The Address’. She is introduced to us as the mother of a fifteen-year old daughter. Like her daughter, Mrs Dorling has a ‘broad back’. When the narrator rings the bell, Mrs Dorling appears wearing the green knitted cardigan of the narrator’s mother. This shows how mercilessly she is using all ‘nice things’ of Mrs S.

Mrs Dorling’s behaviour towards Mrs S’ daughter is quite cold, unfriendly and inhuman. When the narrator introduces herself as the daughter of Mrs S, Mrs Dorling shows no sign of affection. Her remarks are very shocking and uncharitable. She utters : “Have you come back ?” She is not at all pleased to receive the daughter of Mrs S. She doesn’t feel “convenient”. She very coldly asks her to come “another time”.

Mrs Dorling lacks human qualities of head and heart. She is selfish. She is rude and ill mannered. She also lacks good sense and decency. She only knows how to exploit people and situations to her own advantage. She exploits Mrs S’s fear for war. She walks away with all her ‘nice things’ to 46, Marconi Street. She makes no effort to return them when the narrator visits her.

120, James Avenue Amsterdam

20th March, 2008 Dear Hans

It takes all sorts of people to make this world. Mrs Dorling is such a character that everyone would like to forget. You know how we had to flee to another place during the first half of the war. But as they say misfortunes never come alone. So came Mrs Dorling as our saviour but proved totally otherwise. She suggested that my mother should hand over all her nice things to her. She would keep them safe. My mother suffered from war-fright. She willingly gave all her silver cutlery, antique plates, vases and other articles to her. No written agreement. She just had faith in Mrs Dorling.

You know I came back home alone after the war. My poor mother couldn’t survive the war. I went to 46, Marconi Street in search of my mother’s belongings. Mrs Dorling met me. She refused to recognise me. I told her that I was Mrs S’s daughter. That didn’t move her too. Perhaps she was not happy to see me alive. I was anxious to talk to her. But she was not. She was wearing my mother’s green cardigan. It hurt my feelings. She regretted that she could do nothing to help me. Nor did she talk about those ‘nice things’ that she had taken away from us. I was shocked and surprised at her behaviour. Her behaviour was evasive, unfriendly and even insulting.

Yours truly Edwina