THE

ADDRESS

MARGA MINCO
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marga Minco was born Sara Menco in
Ginneken on 31 March 1920 to an
Orthodox Jewish family.
Born on March 31, 1920, in the
Netherlands, Minco experienced the
hardships and tragedies of World War
II, which heavily influenced her literary
works. Marga Minco gained
prominence for her poignant and
deeply introspective writing style.
"The Address" is one of her notable
works, published in 1957.
 Overview
The story is about the human predicament that follows the pre-War
and Post-War periods. Mrs. S, who was a Jews was a rich lady.
Whereas, Mrs. Dorling was a non-Jews. The girl, daughter of Mrs. S,
had lost her house and her mother during the war and now she had
decided to come back to take her possessions from Mrs. Dorling, an
acquaintance whose address was given by her mother years ago.
When she reached the house, the woman treated her with a cold
reception and didn’t let her into the house. She decided to go back
anyway and then she met her daughter who let her in and told her
to wait inside. When she saw all the possessions in front of her, she
couldn’t connect with them and decided to leave the house.
 THEME
 The Address by Marga Minco revolves around
the theme of crisis that we, as an individual
encounter in our daily life.
 War brings destruction, pain, and loss of lives
which impact humans in various ways.
 However, this story speaks about the narrator
and mother's life how they are disrupted due
to war.
 INTRODUCTION
This short story is a poignant account of a
daughter who goes in search of her
mother’s belongings after the War, in
Holland. When she finds them, the objects
evoke memories of her earlier life.
However, she decides to leave them all
behind and resolves to move on.
 SUMMARY
 After ringing the doorbell of Mrs. Dorling who lived at Number 46, Marconi Street, the protagonist was given a cold
reception and Mrs. Dorling took much time to recognize her.
 Mrs. Dorling had thought everyone in the protagonist's family was dead and asked if anyone else had come along with her.
Mrs. Dorling refused to let the protagonist inside her home and told her to come back sometime later.
 The protagonist recognized her mother’s green cardigan which Mrs. Dorling was wearing.
 She decided to go back to the train station and thought about her mother and how she told her about Mrs. Dorling who
was an acquaintance of hers. During the war, Mrs. Dorling would visit their house and take their possessions with her as
she didn’t want them to get lost if they ever left the place. Mrs. Dorling had a broad back.

The protagonist decided to go to Mrs. Dorling’s home to get back their belongings.
 When she rang the bell, Mrs. Dorling’s daughter answered the door.
 She let her in and asked her to wait in the living room.
 When they were crossing the passage, the protagonist noticed their Hanukkah candle stand that they had never used
because it had been unmanageable.
 When she reached the living room, she was horrified as she saw all her mother’s things that were arranged in a tasteless
manner.
 The furniture was ugly and the room had a muggy smell and it made her disinterested and she wanted to leave the place.
 Mrs. Dorling’s daughter offered her a cup of tea and the protagonist noticed the old table cloth that had a burn mark on it.
 When the girl was showing her the silver fork and spoons that actually belonged to the protagonist, she jumped up and
walked out of the house.
 She decided not to visit the place again as it brought back memories of the past and hence, she decided to forget the
address.
 PASSAGE
 ‘DO you still know me?’ I asked .
 The woman looked at me searchingly. She had opened the door a chink. I came
closer and stood on the step.
 ‘No, I don’t know you.’
 ‘I’m Mrs. S’s daughter.’
 She held her hand on the door as though she wanted to prevent it opening any
further. Her face gave absolutely no sign of recognition. She kept staring at me in
silence.
 Perhaps I was mistaken, I thought, perhaps it isn’t her. I had seen her only once,
fleetingly, and that was years ago. It was most probable that I had rung the wrong
bell. The woman let go of the door and stepped to the side. She was wearing my
mother’s green knitted cardigan. The wooden buttons were rather pale from
washing. She saw that I was looking at the cardigan and half hid herself again behind
the door. But I knew now that I was right.
 ‘Well, you knew my mother?’ I asked.
 ‘Have you come back?’ said the woman. ‘I thought that no one had come back.’
 ‘Only me.’
 A door opened and closed in the passage behind her. A musty smell emerged.
 ‘I regret I cannot do anything for you.’
 ‘I’ve come here specially on the train. I wanted to talk to you for a moment.’
 ‘It is not convenient for me now,’ said the woman. ‘I can’t see you. Another time.’
 She nodded and cautiously closed the door as though no one inside the house should
be disturbed.
 I stood where I was on the step. The curtain in front of the bay window moved.
Someone stared at me and would then have asked what I wanted. ‘Oh, nothing,’ the
woman would have said.. ‘It was nothing’
 I looked at the name-plate again. Dorling it said, in black letters on white enamel.
And on the jamb, a bit higher, the number. Number 46.
 As I walked slowly back to the station I thought about my mother, who had given me
the address years ago. It had been in the first half of the War. I was home for a few
days and it struck me immediately that something or other about the rooms had
changed. I missed various things. My mother was surprised I should have noticed so
quickly. Then she told me about Mrs. Dorling. I had never heard of her but apparently
she was an old acquaintance of my mother, whom she hadn’t seen for years. She had
suddenly turned up and renewed their contact. Since then she had come regularly.
 Linguistic
1. ACQUAINTANCE ~ stranger or social contact
2. CHINK ~ a narrow opening
3. FLEETINGLY ~ for a very short time
4. PASSAGE ~ the action or process of moving through or past
somewhere on the way from one place to another
5. MUSTY SMELL ~ an unclean, stale, and possibly moldy smell
6. WHITE ENAMEL ~ an opaque or semi-transparent substance that
is a type of glass
7. JAMB ~ side post of a window, fireplace or doorway
8. TURNED UP ~ to arrive or show up at an appointed or expected
time or place
 Character Sketch
 NARRATOR  MRS. DORLING
 She is a very loving, caring and obedient  Mrs. Dorling is an immoral character.
daughter.
 She was a neighbour of the narrator a long
 She is a brave and courageous girl who faces the
time ago.
challenges of a lonely life after the war was over.
 She was an extremely rude person who can
 She is attached to her mother’s things and after
returning to her home city, she goes to Mrs. be well judged by the way she treated the
Dorling to claim her mother’s things back. narrator.
 Mrs. Dorling’s cold, indifferent and discouraging  She used the author’s and the author’s
behavior further depresses her. mother’s belongings like clothes, utensils etc.
 She is practical and logical and seeing her  despite promising to only look after them.
mother’s belongings kept distastefully.  She faked complete ignorance when asked if
 she decided to forgo everything and return with she recognized the narrator.
only her mother’s good memories with her.
 She was dishonest and impolite.
 She did not invite Marga to her house to treat
her like a good guest.
 INTERROGATE SESSION
 Describe the character of Mrs. Dorling?
 Do you justify Mrs. Dorling’s behavior?
 How would you describe the narrator’s personality in “The Address”?
 Who is the narrator in the chapter “The Address”?
 “Her face gave absolutely no sign of recognition.” Who is her?
A. Mrs. S
B. Mrs. Dorling’s daughter
C. Mrs. Dorling
D. Mrs. S’s daughter
 ANSWER ~ C. Mrs. Dorling
 In what attire did the author find Mrs. Dorling?
A. Author’s mother’s green knitted cardigan
B. Author’s green knitted cardigan
C. Author is unable to recognize it
A. Not mentioned in the story
 ANSWER ~ A. Author’s mother’s green knitted cardigan
 How did Mrs. Dorling treat the author when the author visited her?
A. Warm & welcoming
B. Cold & inhospitable
C. Overjoyed
D. Both (A) and (C)
 ANSWER ~ B. Cold & inhospitable
 “I thought that no one had come back.” Why does Mrs. Dorling say this?
A. Because she was happy to see the protagonist
B. Because she had been waiting for the protagonist for a long time
C. Because she thought everyone in the protagonist’s family were dead
D. None of the above
 ANSWER ~ C. Because she thought everyone in the protagonist’s family were dead
 Mrs. Dorling’s was _________ of Mrs. S.
A. a sister
B. an old acquaintance
C. an old friend
D. a relative
 ANSWER ~ B. an old acquaintance
 What was the address that the author’s mother asked her to
remember?
A. Number 50, Marconi Street
B. Number 46, Baker Street
C. Number 54, Marconi Street
D. Number 46, Marconi Street
 ANSWER ~ D. Number 46, Marconi Street
 Why had the author come to visit Mrs. Dorling?
A. Because Mrs. Dorling had belongings of author’s mother
B. Because Mrs. Dorling called her
C. Because she missed Mrs. Dorling
D. None of the above
 ANSWER ~ A. Because Mrs. Dorling had belongings of author’s mother
 PRESENTERS
i. ALSABITH K S
[Link] JOSE
[Link] J V
[Link] A
 GROUP 1 TEAM MEMBERS

I. ALSABITH K S
[Link] NANDIKA
[Link] JOSE
[Link] J V
[Link] A
THANK YOU -