The end of "The Demon Lover" leaves the reader with uncertainties. Has Mrs. Drover's former lover driven off with her screaming in the taxi cab? Is this final scene all in Mrs. Drover's mind due to her traumatizing experiences during the Blitz?
This mysterious final scene ends a story grounded in fact. There are many references to war-torn London throughout the story. During the Blitz, Londoners did abandon their houses and flee to the country. Some streets were left in ruins. The city was transformed by the bombings and many people lived in fear. This was the reality of millions of people in London.
Mrs. Drover observes changes in her neighborhood. She sees "unoccupied houses... [which] meet her look with their damaged stare." She observes chimneys leaning and missing bricks from the bombings. She notices cracks on the wall when she goes inside her own house. These are outward signs of the damage done by the bombs. Inward signs are the trauma and anxiety that Londoners dealt with.
"The Demon Lover" is historical fiction. Historical fiction combines fact and fiction together. The historical facts in the story make it more realistic and believable.
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