The way that I would want to approach this question would
be through discussing the presentation of Mrs. Drover in terms of the appearance that
she gives, but also looking at the tantalising hints of reality about her that suggest
she is actually a very unstable individual who could be hallucinating the demon lover
and the event that transpires in this story.
The setting
seems normal enough: we are told that Mrs. Drover is returning to her house during the
blitz in the Second World War to pick up some things. She is a middle-aged married woman
who appears to be sensible and practical. This would be her appearance. Yet the text
gives us enough evidence to suggest that the reality is very different. Note the
reference to her general state of anxiety and her being "perplexed." Also, note the
following description about her:
Mrs. Drover's most normal expression was one of
controlled worry, but of assent. Since the birth of the third of her little boys,
attended by a quite serious illness, she had had an intermittent muscular flicker to the
left of her mouth, but in spite of this she could always sustain a manner that was at
once energetic and calm.
Such
details suggest a deep level of emotional instability that is covered up by the
carefully controlled "manner" that she shows to those around her. This would indicate
that there is something much more disturbing going on in Mrs. Drover than we would first
believe, and begs the question about the reality of the demon lover that haunts
her.
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