Classic American Short Stories Group

Question:

wimbledon
wimbledon
Student
College - Sophomore

What is the message of the short story "The Address" by Marga Minco.  What are 3 points one may talk about in this short story?

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Posted by wimbledon on Wednesday July 16, 2008 at 11:36 AM and tagged with classic american short stories, holocaust, marga minco, short story, the address, world wars.

Answers:

  1. lewismct
    lewismct Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Although ostensibly a very sad story about loss and regret emanating from the persecution of the Dutch Jews during the Second World War, like The Diary of Anne Frank it also more intimately speaks to the personal challenges we all must face as individuals in resolving crisis in our own lives. The story relays events before and after the war as the female narrator attempts to confront her past as she visits "the address" where her family's past belongings were "stored," a non-Jewish neighbour's house. On a deeper level, the story is a commentary on memories and remembering - on what is worth remembering and what is worth forgetting: things "lose their value when you see them again, torn out of context…" As a way of teaching epiphany and mature perspective, as well as the role of historical background/context in reading, this story should prove invaluable for young people.

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    Posted by lewismct on Wednesday July 16, 2008 at 12:09 PM

  2. tanishaarora
    tanishaarora Student
    High School - 11th Grade

    this story is a piognant account of a daughter who goes in search of her mother's belongings after 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.

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    Posted by tanishaarora on Wednesday August 27, 2008 at 7:06 AM