Themes And Symbolism In The Demon Lover By Elizabeth Bowen

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The Demon Lover Rough Draft Tragedies tend to stick around our heads for a long time, in “The Demon Lover” by Elizabeth Bowen, she lets Mrs. Drover have the misery of her husband’s death haunt her subconscious mind. Also the other major theme is the effects of wartime on the human brain. Revenge in the short story is no bad deed goes unpunished. As well, the tale could be considered an allegory in which the soldier symbolizes "endless, inescapable violence," Many of the symbols, motifs, and the two characters in the short story support this theme also. Mrs. Drover was being unfaithful to her lover and he made her suffer the consequences of her action. Perhaps the driver of the taxi was the soldier, who came back as as a demon, or the devil, …show more content…

War represents troubled times and troubled minds/trauma. This symbol could also relate to Bowens life herself during the war era when she was writing short stories. The next symbols that attribute to the theme are houses and ghost. Houses play a prominent role in The Demon Lover, as a symbol of cultural and family values threatened from without. The Demon Lover also employed the motif of ghosts. The soldier-lover stayed in Mrs.Drovers head was the ghost. The other symbol was the piano which helped keep Mrs. drover sane. The piano symbolizes joy, peace, and happiness. The piano also represents warmth and some harmony. When the piano was left when they moved away from London , Kathleen’s life becomes melancholic and then her tranquility erased. Also in the story there are two important tones which support the theme. Mystery and also suspense in story are the themes. Mystery was in the letter from the dead lover requesting that Kathleen keep to the promises she had made. At first you wonder what the promise was until you later find out. Also you wonder how the letter got there too. Suspense was The meeting that is supposed to take place at the ‘hour’ agreed during their anniversary. Tone is important because it helps guide you to

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