Address Unknown

Address Unknown is an epistolary novel, meaning that it is structured and presented as a series of letters or telegrams. As such, the letters, addresses, and stationery used throughout the story become important symbols. Even though Martin and Max are on different continents, their letters suggest an initial desire to maintain their friendship. Max’s early letters to Martin are warm and friendly, reflecting his apparent affection for his friend.

As Martin becomes radicalized by the Nazi party, however, the frequency of the letters changes. They are less warm, less friendly, and less representative of a desire to stay in touch. By the time Griselle reaches Berlin, Max’s only reason for continuing to write is out of desperation for his sister’s well-being. These letters go unanswered until Martin sends a blunt declaration of Griselle’s death. From then on, the only letters Max sends are those that lead to Martin’s downfall—the purpose of letter-writing shifts from a way to build connection to a means of destruction. The nature and frequency of the letters reflects the collapsing relationship between the two men and portrays the shift in power dynamics over the course of the story.

In July 1933, Martin writes to Max using “the stationary of [his] bank” (13). By using the bank’s letterheaded paper and claiming that they are exchanging private business dealings, Martin hopes that he can “avoid the new censorship” (13). His decision to do so is symbolic. Martin is demonstrably aware of the collapse of civil liberties in his country, but he is unwilling to criticize the Nazis. He tries to justify their actions and tells Max—a Jewish man—why he believes that “the Jew is the universal scapegoat” (13). Martin's willingness to spout antisemitic beliefs while also attempting to bypass censorship laws reflects his lack of awareness. He defends the Nazis while breaking their laws, echoing their antisemitic beliefs to the one man he has been able to call a friend (and who happens to be Jewish).

The final page of the story is an image of an undelivered envelope. The envelope is marked addressee unknown, indicating that Martin has been captured by the authorities after Max’s plan succeeded. The envelope is a symbol of how lost Martin has become. He believed that Nazi Germany would give him a sense of identity, purpose, and nationalism. Instead, he has been disappeared. The envelope represents the bleak endpoint of a paranoid fascist ideology that will turn on even the most fervent supporter.

At first, Max writes to Martin from the address of their gallery, the Shulse-Eisenstein Gallery in San Francisco, which is a joint business venture and a physical symbol of their friendship. By September 5, 1933, Max cannot tolerate Martin’s name as part of the gallery any longer. He writes to Martin, claiming that he has been “obliged to remove [Martin's] name from the firm's name” (17). The address at the top of each letter is changed as well, now referring solely to the Eisenstein Galleries.

This change in address represents the American understanding of German politics. While Martin is effusive about Nazi Germany, the rest of the world is concerned. Any association with Germany has become bad for business, especially among Max’s Jewish clients. His decision to remove Martin’s name represents an effective end to their friendship.

Max tells Martin that Griselle will use another name “which is not Jewish” when performing in Berlin (12). Max is aware that his surname Eisenstein has Jewish connotations and that anyone using such a name in Germany puts themselves at risk. Even the slightest association with Judaism, he is demonstrably aware, can lead to persecution.

After Griselle’s execution, Max begins signing his letters as Eisenstein. He knows that the letters are being read by the Nazi censors; he wishes to deliberately associate Martin with Jewish people. The change in names represents Max’s changing feelings toward Martin. He is weaponizing the same hate that Martin has freely spouted, turning antisemitism back against Martin and making him feel the fear suffered by Griselle.