‘Have you come back?’ said the woman, ’I thought that no one had come back.’ Does this statement give some clue about the story? If yes, what is it?
Answer:
Certainly, this statement provides insight into the narrative. In the initial stages of the conflict, Mrs. Dorling undertook the task of relocating the valuable possessions of her acquaintance, Mrs. S., to 46 Marconi Street. Among these items were table silverware, antique plates, and various other treasures, including an iron Hanukkah candle holder, a woolen tablecloth, and a green knitted cardigan adorned with wooden buttons. With Mrs. S. having passed away during the war, Mrs. Dorling presumed that nobody would return to claim these valuable belongings, believing that the address of 46 Marconi Street remained unknown to others.

The statement indicates the greedy and possessive nature of Mrs Dorling. She did not open the door to the daughter of her former acquaintance nor did she show any signs of recognition. She did not let the girl in. She refused to see her then saying it was not convenient for her to do. The narrator had gone to this address with a specific purpose to see her mother’s belongings. Even when she told Mrs Dorling that only she had come back, the woman with a broad back did not soften a bit. Thus, the clash of interests is hinted at by the aforesaid statement.

Question 2.
The story is divided into pre-war and post-war times. What hardships do you think the girl underwent during these times?
Answer:
In the era preceding the war, the narrator resided in a distant city from her hometown, only making brief visits to her mother. Throughout the initial stages of the war, the narrator’s mother harbored constant fears of displacement and losing cherished possessions. In the city, the narrator dwelled in a modest rented room, its windows shrouded with blackout paper, depriving her of the scenic outdoors. The specter of death loomed ominously. Post-liberation, normalcy gradually returned, symbolized by the bread lightening in color. She could sleep in her bed without any fear of death. She could glance out of the window of her room each day. One day, she was eager to see all the possessions of her mother, which she knew were stored at number 46, Marconi Street. She went to that address. She felt disappointed when Mrs. Dorling neither recognized her nor let her in. She asked her to come again someday. It was evident she wanted to put her off. She was eager to see, touch, and remember her mother’s possessions. So, she had to take the trouble of visiting the place again.

Question 3.
Why did the narrator of the story want to forget The Address ?
Answer:
The narrator recalled the address her mother had mentioned just once: 46 Marconi Street, where her mother’s acquaintance, Mrs. Dorling, resided. There, the valuable possessions of the narrator’s late mother were safeguarded. Following her mother’s passing, an irresistible desire stirred within the narrator to revisit the location, to lay eyes upon those cherished items, to feel their presence once more. She journeyed to the specified address twice, succeeding in gaining entry on her second attempt. Stepping into the living room, she found herself surrounded by the very objects she longed to reconnect with. Yet, amidst this familiar yet unfamiliar setting, she felt a weight upon her, oppressed by the eerie ambiance that enveloped the space.Everything was arranged in a tasteless way. The ugly furniture and the muggy smell that hung there seemed quite unpleasant. These objects evoked the memory of the familiar life of former times.But they had lost their value since they had been separated from her mother and stored in strange surroundings. She- no longer wanted to see, touch, or remember these belongings. She resolved to forget the address. She wanted to leave the past behind and decided to move on.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Why does the narrator think that she has rung the wrong bell?
Answer:
The narrator thinks so as the woman owner of the house shows no sign of recognition. She refuses to recognize the narrator.

Question 2.
How does the narrator realize that she has rung the right bell?
Answer:
The woman occupant of the house was wearing the green knitted cardigan of the narrator’s mother though the wooden buttons had become pale from washing. When she realized that the narrator was looking at her cardigan, she became conscious and half hid herself behind the door. Then the narrator knew that she had rung the right bell.

Question 3.
Who was the woman with the broad back? Why did she take away all the nice things from the narrator’s house?
Answer:
The woman appeared to be an old friend of the narrator’s mother, whom she hadn’t seen in years. As the war for liberation erupted, the necessity of evacuating the house loomed. It was anticipated that they would have to abandon all household belongings. However, it seemed that the woman from Marconi Street, with her sturdy build, remained unaffected by the turmoil of war. In a bid to preserve the cherished possessions within the narrator’s home, she took it upon herself to remove them.

Question 4.
To what extent did life assume its normal self after the war for the narrator?
Answer:
Life returned to its normal self after the war gradually for the narrator also but only up to the extent that the bread became lighter in color. Now she could sleep unthreatened. But the loss of relations and possessions made her feel about them.

Question 5.
Why did the narrator go to Number 46, in Marconi Street?
Answer:
Number 46, in Marconi Street, was the address, where the valuable possessions of her household were supposed to lie safe. So the narrator went there as to see them, touch them, and remember them once again.

Question 6.
Why did the old possessions of the narrator lose their value?
Answer:
Following the war, as life resumed its usual rhythms, the narrator resolved to revisit her former belongings at Number 46, on Marconi Street. However, upon arrival, their significance dwindled; initially due to their haphazard arrangement and, more significantly, because they bore ties to relationships that had since dissolved. Consequently, the narrator concluded it best to part ways with them.

Question 7.
What was the narrator’s reaction as she found herself in front of her old household things?
Answer:
The narrator was horrified and oppressed as she found herself in front of her old household things. She also felt a sense of estrangement with those things finding them arranged in a tasteless and strange atmosphere.

Question 8.
What impression do you form of the girl of the woman with a broad back?
Answer:
The girl is about 15 years old. She seems to be a simpleton fellow. She let the narrator inside the house, though a stranger to her. She showed her the collection of her mother’s valuable articles. She offered the narrator a cup of tea also.

Question 9.
What is the present state of life for the narrator?
Answer:
The narrator now is severed from her every important relation and possession. Now she lives in a small rented room only. War has a heavy toll on her personal life.

Question 10.
What is the narrator’s final resolution?
Answer:
The narrator after paying a visit to Number 46, in Marconi Street, resolved to forget the address. She didn’t want to keep the memory of the things also which reminded
her of her loss. It marks a note of optimism in the narrator’s attitude. She has decided to start afresh.