The Opening of DH Lawrence's Short Story Odour of Chrysanthemums

The Opening of DH Lawrence's Short Story Odour of Chrysanthemums

In the opening of the short story, "Odour of Chrysanthemums", DH

Lawrence talks about how industry is dominating nature. He tells us

how mankind cannot stand in industry's way and that it is like a

monster we created, which we cannot defeat. The mood Lawrence tries to

create in the opening is gloomy and lifeless which suggests that the

story will be sad and tragic. The words he uses to achieve this are

mostly negative.

The title is rather unusual. Lawrence does not use words that are

usually associated with the smell of flowers, like "fragrance" or

"scented". Instead, he chooses the word "odour" to indicate the smell

of chrysanthemums. This suggests that they are starting to wilt

because they tend to give off an unpleasant smell when they decompose.

From these words, we have a sense that something is wrong and that it

might be unpleasant or unhappy. It also suggests that the story might

be related to death.

The opening of the story starts by depicting the engine. It describes

it with negative words like "clanking, stumbling" which is associated

to noisiness and clumsiness, to make it sound dangerous and ugly. It

is not accomplishing the promise to mankind to be fast as it only

appears to have "loud threats of speed". Even the colt, which was

frightened by it, ran faster. Lawrence is trying to acknowledge that

nature is threatened by industry although it is much more beautiful.

We humans cannot do anything to stop it, as Lawrence said, "she stood

insignificantly trapped between the jolting black wagons and the

hedge" when the women was walking up the railway. It i...

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...ace" suggesting that

chrysanthemums are a remembrance of someone very close to her. This

once again relates to the title, "Odour of Chrysanthemums". "Odour"

suggesting death, tell us that the person who she is trying to

remember is dead. This person could be the person she was expecting

earlier, when she was watching the miners pass by.

The opening of the story begins and ends with the engine, which

represents industry dominating people's lives. Nature and industry are

contrasting antitheses, suggesting that there will be conflict between

them. By talking about them, suggests the story will be tragic. The

title suggests something dying and there is a lot of tension in the

mother and child relationship. The story will be sad because of the

negative words used for the house, the nature, the people and the

industry.