Odour of Chrysanthemums
BookRags Literature Study Guide
Odour of Chrysanthemums by D. H. Lawrence (David Herbert)
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-odourchrysanthemums/
Plot Summary
"Odour of Chrysanthemums" focuses on a dramatic moment in the life of Mrs. Elizabeth Bates, the accidental death of her husband, Walter Bates. The story develops in three major stages.
Part I--Waiting
The story begins with a description of the sights and sounds of a bleak mining village at the end of the mine's afternoon shift. Mrs. Bates calls her son, John, in for the evening meal and provides a light snack for her father, a train driver, while chiding her daughter, Annie, about being late from school. She is also upset because her husband is not home from work yet, and she has a feeling he is drunk at the pub again. Mrs. Bates's daughter directs her to begin the evening meal without their father and appreciates the flowers her mother wears in her apron. Mrs. Bates can only criticize her husband before her children and lament the misery and neglect in her life. She is a fretful, nagging mother, but clearly one who wants a better life for her children, and she doesn't hide her outrage at her husband's recklessness.
Part II--The Search
In the second part of the story, Mrs. Bates, now worried and no longer angry, goes out to search for her husband. Tension builds as she asks her neighbors for news about Walter's whereabouts, and Mr. Riley goes in search of his missing partner. Everyone knows that while Mr. Bates may simply be drunk in one of the village's many pubs, he may also be seriously injured, though their fears are unspoken. When Walter's mother arrives to comfort Eliza-beth, at Mr. Rigby's suggestion, we know something is amiss and rapidly the disaster is revealed, but not until the two women display their very different views of Walter. The elder Mrs. Bates recalls a lively boy and suggests his wife should be more forgiving and generous to him. Elizabeth muses to herself that if
Odour of Chrysanthemums by D. H. Lawrence (David Herbert)
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-odourchrysanthemums/
Plot Summary
"Odour of Chrysanthemums" focuses on a dramatic moment in the life of Mrs. Elizabeth Bates, the accidental death of her husband, Walter Bates. The story develops in three major stages.
Part I--Waiting
The story begins with a description of the sights and sounds of a bleak mining village at the end of the mine's afternoon shift. Mrs. Bates calls her son, John, in for the evening meal and provides a light snack for her father, a train driver, while chiding her daughter, Annie, about being late from school. She is also upset because her husband is not home from work yet, and she has a feeling he is drunk at the pub again. Mrs. Bates's daughter directs her to begin the evening meal without their father and appreciates the flowers her mother wears in her apron. Mrs. Bates can only criticize her husband before her children and lament the misery and neglect in her life. She is a fretful, nagging mother, but clearly one who wants a better life for her children, and she doesn't hide her outrage at her husband's recklessness.
Part II--The Search
In the second part of the story, Mrs. Bates, now worried and no longer angry, goes out to search for her husband. Tension builds as she asks her neighbors for news about Walter's whereabouts, and Mr. Riley goes in search of his missing partner. Everyone knows that while Mr. Bates may simply be drunk in one of the village's many pubs, he may also be seriously injured, though their fears are unspoken. When Walter's mother arrives to comfort Eliza-beth, at Mr. Rigby's suggestion, we know something is amiss and rapidly the disaster is revealed, but not until the two women display their very different views of Walter. The elder Mrs. Bates recalls a lively boy and suggests his wife should be more forgiving and generous to him. Elizabeth muses to herself that if