The Demon Lover

What usually seemed to be a place of happiness was quickly swept away when both World War One and Two occurred. Pretty streets lined with perfect little houses soon transformed into a hazardous and unstable place. Memories erased and even loved ones would never return home to experience the great things their life had to offer. Families were forced to deal with the pain and were left to pick up the pieces after war. Although many can recover from the devastating experiences of war, most find that their mental stability is unrepairable and they will never fully regain sanity. The death of Mrs. Drover's fiance was the overall cause of her feelings and inability to deal with her past. War can have an effect on a person physiologically, in The Demon Lover, after previously finding the strength to move on, the main character's guilt led to a powerful paranoia causing her to have extreme hallucinations.

Throughout the story, there were a number of hints that indicated that the main character, Mrs. Drover, was not mentally and emotionally strong. Her unforgiving and traumatic past seemed to carry over into her present life, which in short, was causing a mental breakdown. "There is something almost childlike about her, and she seems uncomfortable with powerful feelings" (Doughty). Children learn to become smaller and give up their power as a way to create some kind of safety and comfort and in Mrs. Drover's case, her actions were no different. Because she was left untreated and forced to recover alone, she never fully accepted that she in fact, had a severe mental illness. The demon which symbolized her mental state, was what drove her to go insane. Her own personal struggle with getting over her past was more severe than the previous events that she went through. "As such, they are about impressions and psychological states rather than concrete war experiences" (Doughty). Ultimately, the wars were over, but her mental trauma continued to progress.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a serious condition that occurs after a particularly devastating event causing "intense fear, helplessness, or horror" (Wylie). After living through both wars, Mrs. Drover's life had dramatically changed because of the things she once lived through. The argument that her experiences were merely just hallucinations are also contributed to PTSD because flashbacks are a common symptom. Although the house, the letter, and the demon taxi-driver all seemed real in her mind, the reality was that she was mistaking her past for her now present. "In the face of helplessness, many victims of trauma would rather believe they could have done more to stop the crime or save the wounded, and they assume blame for events beyond their control" (Healy). In Mrs. Drover's mind, she was guilty for what happened with her previous lover and therefore thought that moving on was a bad decision. All in all, PTSD is a cruel disease that can make even the sane lose sight of reality.

"I was prepared to find bitterness and hatred among the women who had experienced such horrific violence and loss, and pervasive trauma, but in many places I found strength. I met women who had transcended their sorrow and discovered in themselves the courage and will to rebuild their lives and communities." (Rehn,Sirleaf). Although being a soldier is a tough job, the strength needed to survive without a man exceeds the difficulty of any other job imaginable. In Mrs.Drover's case her lover did not return home and it was her obligation to recover and move on with her life. The realization that loved ones may never come back was a thought that seemed unimaginable and sadly crossed everyone's mind. Brothers, husbands, sons, and friends gave up their lives for an unforgiving effort leaving their