Mrs. Drover The Demon Lover

drive in so she was a little scared that this man was now on her doorstep, not to mention she was

He lover was so sure that he would return to her on the day of his departure. When Kathleen says that he is going far away, he replies, ' Not so far as you think.'; If he were going to war, he would not say he was not going far away and would not be certain he was going to make it back. Her lover could have been stationed close by or he could have went AWOL and stalked Kathleen. If the person driving the taxi was Mrs. Kathleen Dover's former lover he must have stalked her or had some else stalk her to know where she was staying. When Mrs. Dover feels a draft from the basement she feels like someone is in the house and just left through a window. The person in the taxi could have already been in the house at the time she had walked in and watched her as she gathered her things. He now knowing she would not be able to carry all he parcels with her went to the taxi to wait for her. If it had been her lover stalking her he would not have stalked her all the time. He would have waited to find a time that Mrs. Dover was alone. Her going to a house with out anyone knowing she was going there would be a perfect opportunity to get Kathleen back for not waiting for him.

Writers often use flashback to emphasize the notion that the past, though forgotten, and to provide important background information about characters in flashbacks that will be useful to the reader. Mrs. Drover has children and is married but, when returning to her to her old house she remembers her long lost fiancé “Her remembrance of him intensifies upon her finding and reading the mysterious letter in the damaged house” (Gardiner-Scott) this makes the reader wonder what else might

When she was nineteen she made a promise to her fiancé, who her mother claimed "was set on her, not in love." A couple months after he left for war he was reported missing and presumed dead. At thirty two she met and married her current husband and had children. Now, it seems that the demon wants his "fiancé" to keep her promise. Bowen may have chosen to give her the last name of Drover, because a drover is someone who herds animals to market and it seems as though her fate will meet the same demise as the demon takes her away. Mrs. Drovers internal conflict occurred when she did not come through on the promise that she made and now, it seem she can not even recall what the promise was. She is faced with an external conflict as well because she will no longer have her family. She is in the hands of a demon. The third person objective point of view forces the reader to conclude for themself what is really happening. We can not hear her thoughts so it is impossible to know if she really remembers this "so-called promise." The two main elements that really work together to make this story felt by the reader are setting and language. The excellent use of literal imagery evokes the readers senses and sends a chilling feeling of suspense and terror down the spine, thus, creating the perfect setting. A sense of uneasiness is created

When her husband is killed in a train accident Mrs. Mallard cries, but for different reasons than would be expected. She is sad for her husband’s death, but, moreover, she is overcome with joy. For now she is free. No one recognizes her true emotions because women fall apart when their spouse dies; it’s required. Marriage is portrayed as a life sentence. "She said it over and over again under her breath: ‘free, free, free!' Her pulse beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body"(1). Mrs. Mallard was relieved that her husband died for she thought her sentence was over. When she realized that he was still alive, and therefore she was still committed to the marriage, she died from the shock and horror of being trapped.

“It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder, that life might be long.” (Chopin 17). “"Poof!"… gave a revealing look at the victims of domestic abuse and how they wrestle with overcoming their fear and their doubts after suffering years of abusive treatment.” (Toomer 5) Loureen unlike Mrs. Mallard, witnesses her husband’s death first hand during a marital argument. Loureen goes through denial questioning whether her husband’s death. She is happy her husband is dead but also feels guilty, because she knows how a mourning wife should react, but the joy of his demise is greater,” I should be praying, I should be thinking of the burial, but all that keeps popping into my mind is what will I wear on television when I share my horrible and wonderful story with a studio audience…”, Loureen’s husband, Samuel, was physically abusive, as revealed by Florence, Loureen’s best friend and neighbor. “Did that mother***** hit you again?” (Nottage 1563) This abuse, physical by Samuel and mental by Brently, is what allows Loureen in the drama “Poof!” and Mrs. Mallard in the short story “The Story of an Hour” to have the shared freedom they feel in the release from their respective abusive relationships.

A contemporary reading of The Drover's Wife suggests that the author, Henry Lawson, is engaging in a little misdirection. That is to say that the title of the story deemphasizes the principal character's autonomy by referring to her as the wife of a hapless drover instead of the fearless, rugged, self-reliant woman she proves to be. The idea that she belongs to the drover, that she is his property (as opposed to him being her husband/property) is a hard pill to swallow after the reader learns of her exploits in the unforgiving bush.

However, they are similar in the way of both women ending with the ex-lovers in their face. “The driver braked to what was almost a stop, turned round, and slid the glass panel back: The jolt of this flung Mrs. Drover forward till her face was almost into the glass. Mrs. Drover’s mouth hung open for some seconds before she could issue her first scream. After that she continued to scream freely and to beat with her gloved hands on the glass all round as the taxi, accelerating without mercy, made off with her into the hinterland of deserted streets.” (Bowen 1023). This scene by Mrs. Drover exhibits her side of shock that was also shown to the unnamed women in a different way. In both stories the ex lovers are away for enough time that the women moved on. However in the Demon Lover Ballad the wait was seven plus years. "Oh, do not speak of your former vows, for they will breed sad strife; oh, do not speak of your former vows, for I have become a wife"(Ballad 1025). The unknown lady’s shock was portrayed in this quote proving her wait. In conclusion both stories plot twists are significantly different leading to the decisions of both

As a woman, the narrator must be protected and controlled and kept away from harm. This seemed to be the natural mindset in the 19th century, that women need to have guidance in what they do, what decisions they make, and what they say. John calls her a “little goose”(95) and his “little girl”(236), referring her to a child, someone who needs special attention and control. His need for control over her is proven when she admits that her husband is “careful and loving and hardly lets me stir without special direction”(49). John has mentally restrained the speaker’s mind, she is forced to hide her anxieties, fears and be submissive, to preserve the happiness of their marriage. When the narrator attempts to speak up, she is bogged down and made guilty of her actions. Her husband makes her feel guilty for asking, he says, “‘I beg of you, for my sake and for our child’s sake, as well as your own, that you will never for one instant let that idea enter your mind!’”(225-226). By making her feel guilty for her illness, John has trapped her mentally from speaking up about it, convincing her that she must be more careful about her actions. Men often impose the hardships placed upon women during this era. They are often the people reassuring them of their “womanly” duties, and guiding them

Therefore, She’s been forced to be submissive and to do what her husband told her. On this time period is where ‘The Story of an Hour” takes place and this was Mrs. Mallards conflict. There was a time that she wasn’t even allowed to go outside the house. She was very upset about this, but she didn’t had the right to speak up or fight back. That’s when she heard the good/bad new she didn’t felt anything about him. She had to act that she was sad, so the family didn’t noticed how abusive her life was. That’s why her family didn’t speak up, this was her secret and no one’s allowed to

The story continues to reveal a conflict Mrs. Mallard may have had in the relationship with her husband. Though she speaks about him lovingly and knows that he loved her, there is something deeper that is brought to the surface in

In “The Story of an Hour”, the main character Mrs. Mallard, gets news that her husband has been killed in an accident. Her sister delays telling her the news because she has a bad heart, but when she finally tells the news, Mrs. Mallard wants to be left alone. They think that she is very upset by her husband’s death, but

Drover finds a letter addressed to her, “the letter, which bore no stamp,” (Bowen 1084) that must have been recently placed on the table, as other objects “wore a film of another kind; and the only ventilation being the chimney,” (Bowen 1084). All the objects in the house were covered in dust, yet this letter had none on it. She begins to wonder how did the letter appeared on the table; the caretaker is away and the letter should have been forwarded to her residence in the country. Mrs. Drover reads the letter in her old bedroom, which she discovers the letter was from her fiance that was presumed dead during the first World War. In terror she remembers what he left her, “that cut of the button on her palm of hand was, principally, what she was to carry away,” (Bowen 1085). Her fiance was aggressive and physically hurt Mrs. Drover to leave a memory of him.. In panic, Mrs. Drover rushes to finish her tasks in the house as she wonders how he knows she is there and when will he come. These thoughts are running through her head, as well as the reader’s head. Mrs. Drover becomes haunted with memories she has of him. The letter is signed with by “K” so the reader is unaware of who the fiance is and his past; however, based upon Mrs. Drover’s reaction, the reader can conclude that this man is someone to be feared. More and more panic sets in as time passes, Mrs. Drover not knowing the set time they are to meet. The rain and the damaged, dark house aids her paranoia as she begins to believe she is not alone, and is concerned when hearing noises. Mrs. Drover wants to escape back to the country as soon as possible to be with her family, in safety away from the dead

At this point she simply finds no other way but to accept the stereotypical view of a young innocent girl in a relationship with an experienced man, another example of women being victims of male authority. The key to the bloody chamber is the key to her selfhood and subjugation that will ultimately kill her. ‘The protagonist’s husband clearly considers her an object of exchange and plans to inscribe upon her his continuing tale of punishment for wives’ disobedience’[viii] again showing how women make themselves victims of their own behaviour, Helen Simpson’s interpretation is that ‘I really cant see what’s wrong with finding out about what the great male fantasies about women are’ [ix] The heroine fights against the victimisation, and indeed reverses role with the male in the story, as it is Marquis who dies and it is the female who leaves this chamber and finds happiness.

       As the tale begins we immediately can sympathize with the repressive plight of the protagonist.  Her romantic imagination is obvious as she describes the "hereditary estate" (Gilman, Wallpaper 170) or the "haunted house" (170) as she would like it to be.  She tells us of her husband, John, who "scoffs" (170) at her romantic sentiments and is "practical to the extreme" (170).  However, in a time