ANALYZING LITERATURE

Considering War and the Ghost Story
The devastation that was war-torn London--
shells of bombed-out dwellings facing empty
streets, periods of blackout, the roar of airplane
engines in the sky-provides a choice setting for
a story involving the presence of a ghostlike fig-
ure. In fact, for the people who lived during that
era, the specter was very real, lurking in every
darkened doorway and known variously by the
names of fear, desperation, and grief. Consider
the following war-related details in "The Demon
Lover," and explain how each in its own turn adds
to the terror Mrs. Drover feels.
1. The empty house in which the Drovers had
lived
2. The break in the routine of mail delivery
3. The prospect of never knowing the fate of a
loved one reported "missing in action"
4. The blocks of deserted streets in an evacuated
neighborhood