Odour of Chrysanthemums

The way the third person narration refers to the characters is important in “Odour of Chrysanthemums.” Characters are often referred to not by name but by descriptors of their societal or relational roles, showing how these have shaped their lives. This also depersonalizes them, giving the third-person narration a more detached tone and allowing the reader to share in the disconnection that Elizabeth feels. For example, Walter is never referred to by name in the narration itself (only in dialogue), reflecting her realization that she never really knew him. Walter’s mother is often referred to as “the old mother” (20), emphasizing her age and familial relationship with Walter and embodying the themes of decay and familial duty. Even the protagonist is not introduced by name until nearly halfway through the story; on Page 8, the formal “Mrs. Bates” is used, and she only becomes Elizabeth on Page 13. Before then, she is referred to by descriptors that gradually reveal more about her—a woman, a till woman, a daughter, a mother. This, again, creates a feeling of separation from her, depersonalizing her and defining her by her practical roles and familial relationships, just as those roles have defined her life.

“Odour of Chrysanthemums” follows a simple, linear chronology, all in the present tense, over the course of one evening. The concrete, clear chronology adds to the realism of the depiction of everyday life in the colliery—there are no imaginative leaps forward or backward in time. Instead, the narrative takes the reader along with the protagonist, following the minutiae of her evening—draining potatoes, tending the fire, sewing, et cetera. It depicts the reality of her domestic labor. The time is referenced frequently, first on Page 4 (“it was half-past four”), and then repeatedly at regular intervals until the news of Walter’s death arrives on Page 15 (“it was half-past ten”). The fading daylight and subsequent darkness of nighttime are also frequently mentioned. This serves the practical purpose of setting the scene, but it also establishes the mood, with Elizabeth anxiously waiting for Walter’s arrival, counting the hours. The constant awareness of time passing builds tension as Walter fails to arrive.

This single evening is divided into two through the story’s format in two parts. This has a practical purpose, breaking up a narrative that is on the long side for a short story so that it is easier for the reader to digest. However, it also contributes to the themes of the story as the break happens at the moment when Elizabeth’s everyday evening transforms into an earth-shattering evening after learning that her husband has died. Part 1 ends with her first doubts that something may be wrong, and Part 2 opens with her breaking her usual routine and going out to seek news. Through this format, Elizabeth’s life is divided into a before and after, depicting the momentousness of Walter’s death in both her physical world (the daunting challenge of trying to provide for herself and her children alone) and her internal one (her awareness of her social alienation).

Foreshadowing is used throughout “Odour of Chrysanthemums” to build tension and create a sense of inevitability around Walter’s death. This is done through the ominous setting of a fading day, signifying approaching death, and through the imagery of the dying vegetation. More explicitly, Elizabeth inadvertently predicts the way Walter’s body will be brought in: “[T]hey’ll bring him when he does come—like a log” (9). She is right about this, but rather than being drunk, he is actually carried in, inanimate like a log, because he is dead. This is also an example of dramatic irony in the story, as are her protestations that she won’t wash him, which foreshadow her washing his dead body with his mother. The titular chrysanthemums are also part of this foreshadowing—their odor is celebrated by Annie earlier in the story but noted by Elizabeth again later as “a cold, deathly smell of chrysanthemums” (16), as she now knows she is preparing the room for her husband’s dead body.