Odour of Chrysanthemums: observations

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Odour of Chrysanthemums: observations

‘‘Odour of Chrysanthemums’’ was written between the end of the

Victorian period in 1901, and the beginning of World War I in 1914. It

was a time when England was still a powerful international force, and

the head of a huge empire that extended from India to Nigeria, which

demonstrated England’s political power and also provided a vast market

for its manufactured goods. During the nineteenth century, England’s

industrial machine had developed the factory system, which produced

surplus goods for export.

‘‘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. 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 ...

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