What is the content of the letter in "The Demon Lover"?
When Mrs. Kathleen Drover discovered the mysterious letter on the table in her hallway, she did not know who it was from or what it was about. She saw that the letter was "addressed to her." The letter was short. It addressed her as Kathleen, rather than Mrs. Drover. This...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
showed a sense of familiarity at the very beginning of the letter. The letter itself started off by reminding her that this very same day was their anniversary.
At this point in the story, the reader does not know who wrote the letter. The reader does not know what the letter writer is referring to by "anniversary."
The letter writer noted that the years had passed by both "slowly and fast." The writer stated that nothing had changed and that they were going to "rely upon [Mrs. Drover] to keep [her] promise." The letter writer went on to state his or her disappointment that Mrs. Drover left London with her family, but also their pleasure that she was back in time. The writer of the letter then ended it by stating that Mrs. Drover "may expect [them], therefore, at the hour arranged." The letter was signed from "K." Mrs. Drover read that the letter was dated with today's date.
By the end of the letter, the reader still knows almost nothing about the letter writer. The reader does not know if the writer is male or female. The reader later finds out that the letter is supposed to be from Mrs. Drover's former fiancé.
Who is the sender of the letter in "The Demon Lover"?
Mrs. Drover returns to her London townhome, boarded up against the Nazi blitz, and finds a letter without postage dropped on the hall table. It is from her former beloved, K., who went missing and was "presumed" killed twenty-five years earlier in World War I.
The letter has the August date in 1941 that is the "today" of the story. It reminds her that it is their anniversary and that they will meet at the appointed hour. Mrs. Drover remembers the man's words to her from decades past:
"I shall be with you," he said, "sooner or later. You won’t forget that. You need do nothing but wait."
Mrs. Drover has not waited; she has gone on with her life, marrying another man and having three sons. The letter is upsetting to her: her lips turn white under her lipstick as she reads it.
Because the house is empty as a new war is underway, Mrs. Drover has the eerie sense that time has dissolved and none has passed since her former lover said goodbye all those years ago. Yet she tries to find a rational reason for how the letter arrived: it could have been left by the caretaker. She did not think he had been by, but perhaps he had.
In the end, Mrs. Drover decides to get a taxi and leave, but the implication is that the taxi driver is her demon lover.