NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 2 The Address

1. ‘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?

Yes, this statement is a crucial clue.
It reveals the dark historical context of the story—the Holocaust and World War II.

It implies that the narrator and her mother were Jewish refugees who had to flee their home.
Mrs. Dorling (the woman) believed that, like many other Jews sent to concentration camps, the narrator and her family would not survive to return.
Her tone suggests surprise and perhaps disappointment, as she had assumed ownership of their “stored” belongings, thinking the original owners were dead.

2. The story is divided into pre-War and post-War times. What hardships do you think the girl underwent during these times?

The narrator faced immense psychological and physical trauma:

Pre-War Times:

Insecurity: The fear of persecution forced them to flee.
Loss of Home: She watched her mother strip their house of its valuables, handing them over to Mrs. Dorling just to “save” them.
Instability: She lived with the constant anxiety of being caught by the Nazis.

Post-War Times:

Bereavement: She lost her mother and was left alone in the world.
Poverty: She lived in a small, rented room with blacked-out windows and meagre food (“tasteless black bread”).
Identity Crisis: Returning to her hometown only to find her family’s heritage stolen and herself treated as an unwanted stranger.

3. Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?

The narrator wanted to forget 46, Marconi Street because:

Loss of Emotional Value: When she finally saw her mother’s belongings (silver cutlery, vases, table cloths), they were in a strange, tasteless house. “The objects which are linked in your memory with the familiar life of former times instantly lose their value when, severed from them, you see them in strange surroundings.”
Painful Memories: Seeing these familiar objects in Mrs. Dorling’s house painfully reminded her of her dead mother and the happy past that could never return.
Moving On: She realized that hoarding these physical objects would not bring her mother back. In her small rented room, there was no space for them, so she chose to leave the past behind to survive the future.

4. ‘The Address’ is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.

War is not just about the battlefield; its aftermath leaves deep scars on the survivors.

Betrayal of Trust: The story highlights how war allows opportunists like Mrs. Dorling to exploit the vulnerable. She betrayed the trust of the narrator’s mother under the guise of “help.”
Displacement: It shows the tragedy of refugees who return “home” only to find they no longer belong there.
Psychological Burden: The narrator’s struggle isn’t just for physical survival but for mental peace. She has to let go of her own heritage because the memories attached to it are too painful to bear. It portrays the cruel reality that survivors often have to shed their past to live in the present.