Porphyria's Lover Internal Conflict

In Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess and Porphyria’s lover, as well as Elizabeth Bowen’s Demon lover, the protagonists embark upon the hero’s quest in order to resolve their internal conflict towards being the cause or victim of obsessive and overwhelming emotions.
The first stage is the call to adventure where the hero, in their everyday normal life, receives a calling, either metaphorical or literal, where he or she has to answer to conflict. In The Demon Lover , the protagonist, Mrs. Drover, has to go back to her home. The story takes place in World War Two. Mrs.Drover had to leave her home in London once the bombing started
Although Mrs. Drover doesn’t refuse to return to her home, it is safe to say she may have been hesitant at first because of the chance that London would be bombed again as she is making her return. Porphyria’s lover is afraid of heartbreak at first and seems hesitant when Porphyria approaches him. As the Duchess, the Duke’s wife does not want to risk losing her political status. The Comfort of their regular life made them hesitate to leave on start their journey but inevitably the protagonists had to follow their destiny.
The third stage is supernatural aid, where the hero gets help from something or someone that provides them with knowledge that will help them on their quest. This stage for The Demon Lover can be debatable. It’s is very subtle but the most likely form of supernatural aid that helps Mrs. Drover is the rushing in of the air as she walks in. After being alone for so long the house becomes filled with fresh air signifying fresh beginnings and the force of it rushing in seems to slightly push Mrs. Drover deeper into the home and therefore deeper into this new part of her life. Similarly the wind cold wind in Porphyria’s lover not only builds the tone but also strengthens the lover’s cold heart. The fool that brings the Duchess an apple aids her in seeing how much attention she receives. Supernatural aid is supernatural because it helps the hero enter
For example, in A Bronx Tale the protagonist, C, meets a big time mobster named Sonny that teaches him how to live life at its fullest. Unlike in most stories, in The Demon Lover, there is no character that serves as source of wisdom for Mrs. Drove. She does however confront the letter that has been left for her. Although it may not provide wisdom it does inform her about the possibility that her ex lover that was presumed dead may actually still be alive. After Porphyria tells her lover she loves him, he gains the knowledge of knowing her love. Although the Duchess may be the character of interest, it seems that the Duke is the one to meet with the goddess. He does so when he notices she is too nice and impressionable and so the Duke acquires the wisdom about what he doesn’t like about his