question_answer 4)

The Address' is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.  

Answer:

War brings with it death and destruction. Marga Minco's short story "The Address" describes human predicament that follows war. War had caused an upheaval in the lives of the people of Holland, as they lost their lives and homes. Mrs S was also a victim of the war. So when the narrator, Mrs S's daughter, went to Mrs Dorling's house to claim those articles with which her mother's precious memories were associated, Mrs Dorling was surprised to see the narrator at her door and even pretended not to recognize her. The narrator was shocked to see the 'nice belongings' of her mother lying in Mrs Dorling's house. She felt nostalgic and the things appeared to have lost their worth in the absence of their true owner. Therefore, she decided to leave those things and forget the address forever. Thus the story presents the upheaval in the lives of the narrator and her mother caused by the war. The story shows how war brings a dehumanizing effect on human beings. It kills the finer feelings of love and sympathy. It makes persons cruel and selfish.