Odour of Chrysanthemums is a short story written by D.H. Lawrence, first published in 1911. It tells the story of Elizabeth Bates, a woman living in a mining community, and explores themes of family, death, and the struggles of working-class life. The title refers to the scent of chrysanthemums, which becomes symbolic in the story.
Odour of Chrysanthemums | Summary
The story begins with the Number 4 locomotive with seven wagons chugging along the tracks on a late afternoon in the autumn season when it is nearing dusk. The setting is England’s coal county. As it pulls to the loading area, many miners are making their way home. There is a low cottage nearby, which has a tiled roof, an apple orchard and a garden. Elizabeth Bates watches the miners walk along as she emerges from the chicken coop; she calls her son, John. John emerges from the raspberry patch, and Elisabeth tells him that it is time to come in. The locomotive that her father is driving arrives at a distance and as John returns home, she scolds him for tearing off the petals of chrysanthemums and scattering them across the path.
As the train comes to a stop near the gate, Elisabeth brings tea, bread and butter for her father. Her father tells her that it is time for him to remarry. He also tells her that her husband, Walter, had been drinking again and had been bragging that he was going to spend a fortune. After he is done with his tea, he drives off, and Elizabeth returns to the kitchen waiting for Walter so her family can have tea. Walter does not arrive, and Elizabeth goes on preparing her meal. Annie, Elizabeth’s daughter, comes in and is scolded by Elizabeth for being late. She asks Annie if she has seen Walter, to which he replies in the negative. Annie urges her to eat, but Elizabeth worries that Walter is at the pub again. As she eats, Elizabeth increasingly grows angry.
John repeatedly complains about the darkness in the room and Elizabeth goes out to get coal and a few pieces of wood. She reveals that she is pregnant. Annie gets excited at the sight of chrysanthemums in her apron and smells them, taking them in her hands. Elizabeth vows not to clean Walter up given that he will probably be carried home intoxicated by his friends again.
The children play quietly, but are soon sent to bed by Elizabeth. Annie protests, since Walter hasn’t come home yet. Elizabeth tells her that if and when he does, he will be unconscious from all the drinking. At eight. she leaves the house and goes to ask Mrs., Rigley whether her husband is at home. The woman answers that her husband has briefly gone to the pub after dinner; she returns with her husband in tow and tells Elizabeth that he had last seen Walter finishing a job at the coal pit. Mrs. Rigley runs to her neighbour to spread the gossip, while Mr. Rigley offers to go and find out if he is at some pub.
After forty-five minutes, Elizabeth’s mother-in-law enters the cottage, crying hysterically. She tells Elizabeth that Walter had been in a serious accident, and laments about her son’s debauchery. A miner meanwhile arrives to inform that Walter has been dead for several hours and was smothered after a cave-in. Elizabeth quickly silences her mother-in-law, afraid her wailing will wake the children up. She goes to the parlour and prepares a space where the body can be laid.
As the pit manager and another man arrive with the body, they accidentally tip over a vase of chrysanthemums. Elizabeth cleans it up and goes to Annie, who has woken up upstairs. When Annie finally calms down, Elizabeth and her mother-in-law get to work to clean the body. Elizabeth embraces Walter’s corpse, trying to make some connection with her dead husband’s still-warm body. She is repulsed by the dead flesh. Her mother-in-law rouses her from her musing as Elizabeth laments the failure of her marriage. Elizabeth, unable to weep, fetches a shirt and dresses her husband. She tidies the kitchen and locks the parlour door, ashamed of the harsh realizations she has come to after Walter’s death.
Odour of Chrysanthemums | Analysis
D.H. Lawrence was (in)famously the voice of the working class and a famous modernist writer. Odour of Chrysanthemums explores death and mortality, as well as the struggles of working-class life through the marriage of Elizabeth and Walter. A sense of isolation permeates the entire story. Elizabeth is alone, and it seems that the sole aim of her life is to wait on her husband. Her husband’s mining job gave them no time to nurture a marriage, and Elizabeth laments that when she tries making some connection with her husband’s corpse. As she feels nothing and is unable to weep, the realization dawns on her that her marriage has truly gone in vain. She is pregnant and alone with two children.
The chrysanthemums in the story represent both life and death. They are beautiful and fragrant when alive but become a reminder of death when Elizabeth discovers her husband’s lifeless body in the same room where she had placed the chrysanthemums. The story is set in a coal mining community, highlighting the harshness of working-class life and the dangers faced by miners. The dark and gloomy atmosphere of the mining town serves as a backdrop to the emotional struggles of the characters. Lawrence’s primary focus here seems to be social as well as economic; the working class that is cursed with long working hours and harsh conditions can not only yield anything good but can also never nurture a family. Walter’s descent into debauchery elucidates his escapism from his tiring work life, and the same work-life does not allow him to have a fulfilling marriage or relationship with his children.
Elizabeth clearly loves and protects her children; she is quick to decision and her love stands in contrast to the one shared by man and wife. She does not let the children see their father’s corpse. She understands, when she first hears of Walter’s death, that the children must not see Walter in that state. The child Elizabeth is pregnant with is described as “ice” and “a weight apart from her”; the child was not conceived out of love but a mechanical act between two adults. The baby is a reminder of her relationship with Walter than a part of her own.
Odour of Chrysanthemums | Character Sketch
Elizabeth Bates
Elizabeth is the frustrated wife of Walter Bates, and is presented as the suffering wife who is the victim of her husband’s debauched living. However, it is soon revealed that she is just as responsible for the breakdown of the marriage as Walter. She considers herself full of bitterness. She loves and protects her children, but feels no emotion for her husband; only bitterness when dinner gets delayed because of him. His death reveals her part in the failing marriage.
Walter
Walter is Elizabeth’s husband and a miner who dies because of a mining cave-in. He has a reputation for being debauched and is in a failing marriage with his wife. His death makes Elizabeth realise her role in the marriage’s failure. The pity she then feels for him sharply contrasts with her harsh view of him before his death.
Literary Devices
- Foreshadowing: The story utilizes foreshadowing to hint at the tragic event that unfolds. The mention of a “corpse with a hidden face” early in the story and the eerie presence of the chrysanthemums create a sense of impending doom.
- Symbolism: The chrysanthemums symbolise unpleasantness and death; she cannot associate them with anything happy or joyful.
Odour of Chrysanthemums is a deeply moving and thought-provoking story that explores the complexities of human relationships and the impact of death on the living. The story explores themes of isolation, loss, and the complexity of human relationships. It shows how misunderstandings and communication gaps can lead to emotional distance between family members. The theme of death and its impact on the living is also prominent throughout the story. It remains a classic example of D.H. Lawrence’s mastery of storytelling and exploration of human emotions.