The Demon Lover

3 Pages 765 Words

In the short story,” The Demon Lover”, by Elizabeth Bowen, Mrs. Drover has made a pact with the devil {claim statement}. Nineteen year-old Kathleen (Mrs. Drover) is engaged to a man who is about to leave for war {background}. Oddly enough, he is not very receptive to her emotionally and actually, is rather frigid acting towards the young girl whom he is supposed to marry. Actually, it seems to be more of a business relationship than a bond created out of love. There are many ways that Elizabeth Bowen proves to the reader that Mrs. Drover has made a pact with the devil {warrant}. By making a pact with the devil I mean, surrendering blood as part of an oath to Satan, trading one’s soul for a favor for a specified number of years and/or accepting the Devils mark {definition}.
Upon entering the house, an eerie feeling hangs in the air. Bowen makes this known by describing the atmosphere and feelings that are felt by Mrs. Drover as she walks into the old house. For example, nobody knows that she is coming to town; yet, as she enters the dark, cold room her eyes fall to a fresh letter placed on a dusty table by the door. The date on the letter is the present day, no return address can be found, and there is no stamp, which proves that the letter has not gone through the mail. As Kathleen opens the letter, Bowen makes it clear that the Devil has returned to make sure that the promise, made 25 years ago, by the young girl and the face-less man is honored.
The meaning of the pact made in “The Demon Lover” can be interpreted in many different ways. For instance, one point of view in this matter is that the Devil promises Kathleen that she will marry and bear children in a time when men are scarce due to the war, and she, in return, will join him in 25 years. In times of war, women are abundant and men are extremely scarce for the obvious reason. In 1916, when this story takes place, women do not have many choices concerni...