In “The Demon Lover,” the Drover family has left London for the countryside because of the war. The city has been bombed many times, and the people who live there feel safer living in the country. Drover has come to London to retrieve some things from their home to take with her back to the city.

Drover’s memory. This foreshadows the grim reality of life in a war-time that Mrs. Drover will be forced to endure. The only thing that appears remotely real in her life is war and the chaos, upheaval, and destruction it brings.

Bowen was inspired to write “The Demon Lover” during World War II, after having experienced the Blitz, or aerial bombardment, of London by the Germans during 1940-41. Remembering the effects of World War I, people in London were overwhelmed by the events of World War II. Drover, confuses World War II with World War I.

Literary Elements Dramatic Irony- “Through the aperture driver and passenger, not six inches between them, remained for an eternity eye to eye.” flashback- “The young girl talking to the solider in the garden had never completely seen his face.” olfactory imagery- ” The whole drawing room smelled of cold hearth.”

When Mrs. Kathleen Drover discovered the mysterious letter on the table in her hallway, she did not know who it was from or what it was about. She saw that the letter was “addressed to her.” The letter was short. It addressed her as Kathleen, rather than Mrs.

Drover decides to return to her house in order to gather some of the family’s belongings. Mrs. Drover went round to her shutup house to look for several things she wanted to take away. Some belonged to herself, some to her family, who were by now used to their country life.

What helps Mrs. Drover feel better after leaving the house? he has not delivered her mail. When Mrs.

London is being bombed during World War II and it’s not safe to live in the city. Drover come to her house in the city? To pick up some things and bring them back to her family in the country. What does Mrs.

However, she becomes increasingly disquieted after reading the letter, as it purports to be from her long-lost lover whom she remembers as a rather sinister character. He writes of a a pledge to meet again to remember their anniversary, on that very day.

In “The Demon Lover,” Bowen uses the war as a backdrop to the story and this contributes to the gloomy and depressing mood. Mrs Drover’s family, for example, have left the house and moved to the country because of the danger posed by the Blitz.

The story closes dramatically with Mrs. Drover screaming and beating on the windows of the taxi as she is abducted into London’s deserted streets. Rainsford, Sue. “The Demon Lover Plot Summary.” LitCharts.

When Mrs. Drover looks into the mirror, what does she see? A breast button from his uniform.

noun. 1A lover in spirit form; a lover that is a demon. 2An exceptionally good lover.

Elizabeth Bowen

The letter represents the past and the ominous power it holds over Mrs. Drover is unable to maintain a clear boundary between the present moment and the past: despite her best efforts to focus on the present, she is absorbed by recollections of her former fiancé and the physical and emotional discomfort he caused her.

Why does Mrs. Drover become comforted at the thought of the taxi? The idea of not being all alone appealed to her.

Hallucinations. Kathleen Drover did suffer a severe mental breakdown because of her hallucinations. Drover saw the letter on the hall table, it was known to be a hallucination.

forty-four year old

In the story, The Demon Lover by Elizabeth Bowen, the main character has an inner conflict on whether to take an action or overcome her feeling from the beginning of the story till the end. She has to make a decision, but struggles within the story to make that decision.