D.H. Lawrence's Odour of Chrysanthemums

"The Odour of Chrysanthemums," by D. H. Lawrence, is full of meaning. The meanings of the story are all centered on death in some way. Death is seen in the use of chrysanthemums: to Mrs. Bates they have a "cold, deathly smell" (Lawrence 2326). They remind her of pain, such as when her husband was brought home drunk for the first time (he was wearing chrysanthemums in his lapel). The association between the flowers and pain or death is continued until the near end of the story. When Mr. Bates' (Walter) body is brought home, a vase of chrysanthemums is broken. Elizabeth's eagerness to clean up the mess is an important symbol of her marriage (Schulz). Secondly, there is the vivid description of the physical setting of the story. The image of Elizabeth being trapped between the shrub and the train is symbolic of her later realization that she was trapped, in a sense, in her marriage (Pinion 219). Thirdly, after the death Mrs. Bates realizes that they had been growing apart for quite some time. Elizabeth's confrontation of her husband's body is also her confrontation of the truth about her marriage - there hadn't been anything between them except "carnal knowledge" of each other (Blythe).

Lawrence's careful use of the chrysanthemum flower throughout the story has several significant meanings. Beginning with the flower's first appearance, they are described in a less than positive manner. Mrs. Bates (Elizabeth) steps out of her house and walks past "disheveled" pink chrysanthemums. They are said to hang on the bushes like cloths (Lawrence 2317). She also tells her son not to drop the flower's petals on the ground because it looks "nasty" (2317). When Annie tries to smell the chrysanthemum in her mother's apron band, she is pushed away. Her mother tells her that they don't smell beautiful to her because "It was chrysanthemums when I married him, and chrysanthemums when you were born," and chrysanthemums when her husband was brought home drunk for the first time. This rather harsh statement is loaded with meaning.

Elizabeth's strong memory of her husband being carried home drunk with wilted chrysanthemums in his lapel foreshadows the dramatic ending of the story. There are similarities between the two situations. In both, her husband is carried home by coworkers or friends, well past the time he should have been home. Also present in both situations is the involvement of the chrysanthemum. When Walter is brought home dead, a vase of chrysanthemums is knocked over.

Chrysanthemums come to be a direct representation of the Bates' marriage.

Elizabeth's association between the two foreshadows the conclusion about her marriage that she will come to later. The association of the flower with her child foreshadows the feelings she will have about her children at the end of the story. When the vase of chrysanthemums is knocked over, it symbolizes the broken marriage Elizabeth will soon realize she has (Schulz).

The description of the scenery plays a role in the story as well. Lawrence describes the image of the train rolling by, the woman backing up into the hedge, and the pit-bank and its workers in a very realistic manner. The realistic images make it easy for the reader to imagine the setting and feel that they are there.

The placement of machinery on the landscape makes a statement. It has an adverse effect on the animals, the fields are lifeless, and the hill is scarred by flames. The noises of the machinery contrast with the atmosphere of a quiet evening, leaving an impression that human and animal life is "overpowered by the mechanical force of industry" (Schulz).

Symbolism can also be found in the landscape. The image of Elizabeth stepping back towards the hedge while the train rushes past represents her being 'trapped' in her life. It foreshadows the instance that makes her realize she is trapped (Pinion 219).

The third major aspect of the story is the impact of Walter's death. Elizabeth was expecting a drunken husband, and when a dead one came home instead, she was forced to think about their marriage. Confronting his corpse was representative of her confronting the truth that her marriage was less than ideal. Walter's death gives the reader a hint of what Elizabeth is about to realize: he was suffocated in life and, ironically, died in suffocation.

Elizabeth's confrontation of the truth leads her to realize something very important about her marriage. She realizes that there hadn't been anything between herself and her husband except for "carnal knowledge of each other" (Blythe). She even feels that the relationship was not real - she muses to herself "I have been fighting a husband who did not exist" (Lawrence 2329). Because their relationship was based on sex, she felt that her unborn child was "like ice in her womb" (2329). There are similarities between the pit bank where Walter died in and the womb of the unborn child (Blythe). Both Walter and the unborn child are in some sense dead in a dark, unproductive, cave-like area. Given that and the fact the children are "unsought by-products" of the marriage; the family's existence has made them into the pit bank (Blythe).

The strong reaction Walter's mother has to his accident gives light to Lawrence's mother. Walter's mother is overbearing - she talks at length about his boyhood days and how she learned to "make allowances" for him, she worries about Elizabeth's pregnancy, and she rushes to answer the door when the miners come to the door (Lawrence 2325). While some level of concern can be seen as expected behavior, she crosses 'the line' when Walter's body is being dressed. She becomes very jealous when Elizabeth begins, and pushes herself in Elizabeth's way (Lawrence 2328). Lawrence's mother has been described as being similarly 'pushy'. He was the core of her emotional life, so much so that it negatively affected his romantic relationships (Abrams 2313). She also strongly guided him where education was concerned (2314). Whether because of her attitude or not, Lawrence certainly had negative feelings towards her. In 1910 he gave her an overdose of sleeping medicine and she died as a result ("D.H. Lawrence").

Works Cited

Abrams, M. H., et al. ed. New York City: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2000.

Abrams, M.H., et al. ed. "D.H. Lawrence". Abrams 2313-2316.

Blythe, Hal and Charlie Sweet. "Lawrence's 'The Odour of Chrysanthemums'." Explicator. 2002. Academic Search Premier. 2004. U. of Northern Colorado. 1March 2004.
"D.H. Lawrence - Biography and Works". The Literature Network. 2000-2004. 6 March 2004. Lawrence, D.H. "The Odour of Chrysanthemums". Abrams 2316-2330.

Pinion, F. B. A D.H. Lawrence Companion. New York City: Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., 1979.

Schulz, Volker. "D.H. Lawrence's Early Masterpiece of Short Fiction: 'Odour of Chrysanthemums'." Studies in Short Fiction. 1991. Academic Search Premier. 2004. U. of Northern Colorado. 1 March 2004.