Abdul Ladha Research Paper Odour Of Chryaanthemums
Abdul Ladha
Mrs.Watassek
English IV- 4th period
6 November 2014
Odour of Chrysanthemums Research Paper
The chrysanthemums flower that initiated the marriage suddenly became the odour of the end of it. Elizabeth Bates is a complex character, a long-suffering wife, and a bitter mother. Elizabeth is pregnant with a third child, and nothing in her life is as she thought it would be. She is accustomed to the routine of waiting for her husband to return for dinner after work or his other home the local pub. During one gloomy autumn night, her husband, Walters Bates arrival backs home for dinner turns into a night of misfortune. In the short story, Odour of Chrysanthemums D.H. Lawrence uses Elizabeth Bates inner conflict to portray the theme of isolation. Throughout the story, the author uses elements such as, symbolism and imagery to represent the isolation Elizabeth Bates suffers.
In the story, Lawrence uses the symbolic dark setting to emphasize the theme of isolation. “She opened the door once more and looked out across the darkness of the lines. All was deserted: she could not hear the winding engines” (Lawrence 4). Early in the setting Elizabeth waits out by the gate in the dark gloomy afternoon for her husband. As the locomotive pulls up, and the various miners make their way home there she stands with no sight of her husband. Another setting is when Elizabeth and her kids are eating dinner “The room was busy in darkness with the crisp sound of crunching” (Lawrence 4). Although the author uses the word “busy” his aim is to describe a dark room filled with silence. Another use of symbolism is when Elizabeth says, “They will bring him when he does come-like a log” (Lawrence 6). Elizabeth’s tone shows how lonely and depressed she is about the behavior of her husband, who is never around and does not care about his family or work as she later says “I know he’ll not go to work tomorrow after this!” (Lawrence 6). This symbolizes the tension in Elizabeth’s tone that
Mrs.Watassek
English IV- 4th period
6 November 2014
Odour of Chrysanthemums Research Paper
The chrysanthemums flower that initiated the marriage suddenly became the odour of the end of it. Elizabeth Bates is a complex character, a long-suffering wife, and a bitter mother. Elizabeth is pregnant with a third child, and nothing in her life is as she thought it would be. She is accustomed to the routine of waiting for her husband to return for dinner after work or his other home the local pub. During one gloomy autumn night, her husband, Walters Bates arrival backs home for dinner turns into a night of misfortune. In the short story, Odour of Chrysanthemums D.H. Lawrence uses Elizabeth Bates inner conflict to portray the theme of isolation. Throughout the story, the author uses elements such as, symbolism and imagery to represent the isolation Elizabeth Bates suffers.
In the story, Lawrence uses the symbolic dark setting to emphasize the theme of isolation. “She opened the door once more and looked out across the darkness of the lines. All was deserted: she could not hear the winding engines” (Lawrence 4). Early in the setting Elizabeth waits out by the gate in the dark gloomy afternoon for her husband. As the locomotive pulls up, and the various miners make their way home there she stands with no sight of her husband. Another setting is when Elizabeth and her kids are eating dinner “The room was busy in darkness with the crisp sound of crunching” (Lawrence 4). Although the author uses the word “busy” his aim is to describe a dark room filled with silence. Another use of symbolism is when Elizabeth says, “They will bring him when he does come-like a log” (Lawrence 6). Elizabeth’s tone shows how lonely and depressed she is about the behavior of her husband, who is never around and does not care about his family or work as she later says “I know he’ll not go to work tomorrow after this!” (Lawrence 6). This symbolizes the tension in Elizabeth’s tone that
Cited: Page http://www.online-literature.com/dh_lawrence/prussian-officer/12/ Michael Black, “Short Stories II,” in D. H. Lawrence: The Early Fiction, Cambridge University Press, 1986, pp. 188-210. Oliver Lovesey, Overview of “Odour of Chrysanthemums,” for Short Stories for Students, The Gale Group, 1999. Robert N. Hudspeth, “Lawrence’s ‘Odour of Chrysanthemums’: Isolation and Paradox,” in Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. 6, No. 5, Fall, 1969, pp. 630-36.