Question

why did the narrator decide to forget the address in 40 words

Answer 1

The narrator went to the house of the lady who had kept many valuable items of her mother during the war days. The address of the lady helped her in searching out the house of the lady. But now she wanted to forget the address as after visiting the house of the lady she found how the belongings of her mother were kept in a strange manner. These had lost all their emotional value for the narrator. The narrator now lived in a small rented room. She had no place to keep all these things. The lady treated her very insolently. She even refused to recognise her. She did not let her come into the house. That was why she wanted to forget that address.

Answer 2

Once the war was over, the narrator went to Mrs Dorling's address in search of her mother's belongings. But the woman pretended not to recognize, her. Nor did she show any intention of returning the things which she had taken from the narrator's mother. The narrator was shocked to see the 'nice belongings' of her mother being used in Mrs Dorling's house. She felt nostalgic and decided that she would not try to take them back, as they reminded her about the horrors of the war. Since their true owner was no longer in this world, the possessions had lost their meaning. She felt that it was better to forget the address of the uncharitable Mrs Dorling, which symbolised a tragic past.