The Unconscious Mind of Mrs. Drover in Bowen’s The Demon Lover

The Unconscious Mind of Mrs. Drover in Bowen’s The Demon Lover

To some degree, literature is analogous to the human mind: both literature and the thought systems of human beings operate on multifarious levels. The human mind functions both consciously and unconsciously; while the conscious exists superficially, the unconscious governs most human actions. The superficial level of literature is gleaned by rendering a literal interpretation of the words on the pages. Yet, a piece of literature—like the human mind—also contains a recondite element that governs the actions contained within the work.

Sigmund Freud suggested that “like the iceberg, the human mind is structured so that its great weight and density lie beneath the surface” (Guerin et al. 127). Similarly, the “great weight and density” of Elizabeth Bowen’s “The Demon Lover” also lies beneath the surface. While a literal interpretation reduces the work to a simple yet disturbing ghost story, trenchant analysis reveals the inward pilgrimage of the protagonist, Kathleen Drover. Although it is unclear whether or not Mrs. Drover’s return to her house in London is a physical journey, it is, with certitude, a psychological one. Mrs. Drover’s journey is one into her battle-scarred psyche, damaged by her failure to achieve a balance between two opposing forces—the Id and Superego.

The terms id and superego, along with ego, comprise Freud’s tripartite model. The id is the portion of the psyche that generates “our instinctual physical, especially libidinal, desires. The id itself is often described as insatiable and pleasure seeking” and it does not consider the consequences or implications of its actions (Murfin and Ray 164). Conversely, the superego “operates according to morality principal and serves primarily to protect society and us from the id” (Bressler 151). The ego is the “rational governing agent of the psyche…the ego serves as intermediary between the world within and the world without” and it helps “keep us healthy human beings by maintaining a balance between these two opposing forces” (Guerin et al. 130-1).

Externally, Mrs. Drover is described as a “prosaic” woman whose normal expression was that of “controlled worry, but of assent” (Bowen 661-2). She was a simple, ordinary woman—perhaps even a bit dull—whose movements were “circumscribed.” Internally, Mrs.