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

The Unconscious Mind of Mrs. herdsman in Bowens The ogre Lover To some degree, literature is analogous to the homosexual mind twain literature and the thought systems of human beings operate on multifarious levels. The human mind functions both consciously and unconscious(p)ly while the conscious exists superficially, the unconscious governs most human actions. The superficial level of literature is gleaned by variation a literal interpretation of the words on the pages. Yet, a segment of literaturelike the human mindalso contains a cryptical element that governs the actions contained at heart the work. Sigmund Freud suggested that like the iceberg, the human mind is structured so that its enormous weight and density lie on a lower floor the surface (Guerin et al. 127). Similarly, the great weight and density of Elizabeth Bowens The Demon Lover also lies beneath the surface. While a literal interpretation reduces the work to a innocent yet disturbing ghost st ory, trenchant analysis reveals the inward pilgrims journey of the protagonist, Kathleen Drover. Although it is unclear whether or not Mrs. Drovers return to her shack in London is a physical journey, it is, with certitude, a psychological one. Mrs. Drovers journey is one into her battle-scarred psyche, damaged by her calamity to achieve a balance between two opposing forcesthe Id and Superego. The basis id and superego, along with ego, comprise Freuds tripartite model. The id is the portion of the psyche that generates our instinctual physical, oddly 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 in general to protect society and us from the id (Bressler 151). The ego is the rational governing element of the psychethe 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 accord (Bowen 661-2). She was a simple, ordinary womanperhaps even a act dullwhose movements were circumscribed. Internally, Mrs.