Introduction
D.H. Lawrence’s short story “Odour of Chrysanthemums” explores the depth and complexity of human experience through the plight of its central character, Elizabeth Bates. At its heart, the story is about the search for meaning and connection in a world that can be harsh and unforgiving. Lawrence’s use of real geographical names and accurately portrayed English situations adds to the story’s believability and persuasiveness. “Odour of Chrysanthemums” is a testament to Lawrence’s ability to capture the essence of the human condition through his evocative portrayal of characters and their relationships.
Industrialism and Its Impact on Human and Animal Life
The living conditions of modern humans due to industrialism were one of Lawrence’s primary writing topics. The narrative, which opens with a depiction of a mining community, highlights the harshness of industrialism and the way it traps and exploits individuals. Beyond explanation, it radiates and symbolizes people’s misery in industrial societies.
However, the writer does not only concentrate on the condition of humans’ living, “he implies that not only the mechanical force of industry overpowers human life but also animal life” (Gökçek 33). Lawrence’s interests are less focused on the environment and more on the fates of specific individuals, as well as the effects of the industrial system on interpersonal interactions and individual lives. The miner’s residence is a dirty hole,” small, disorderly, and rat-infested. Mrs. Bates considers the financial ramifications of her husband’s tragedy shortly after learning about it, not because she is cruel but because she is enslaved by poverty (Ghounane et al. 7). Lawrence thus demonstrates how industrial capitalism benefits a select few at the expense of the whole populace.
Identity and Estrangement in a Mining Community
Elizabeth Bates is a woman who has been shaped by the harsh realities of life in a mining community, and she struggles to come to terms with her own identity and her place in the world. Accordingly, “The proud woman who is the central character is emotionally estranged from her coal miner husband” (Cushman 367). Conventionality affects her deeper and impacts her inner being, prim behavior, and looks.
This is verified when she first sees her father. While washing her husband’s dead body with her mother-in-law, Mrs. Bates begins to reconsider the value of her husband and their life. At this time, she ironically understands that they never had the opportunity to get to know one another and that both are to blame for their marriage’s demise (Sercan and Bağlama 1458). The reader wants to identify with the bluff father who had attempted to protect himself from loneliness despite her criticism of him for remarrying too soon.
Complex Human Emotions and Symbolism of Chrysanthemums
One of the most striking aspects of Lawrence’s portrayal of human experience in “Odour of Chrysanthemums” is the writer’s ability to capture the complexity of human emotions. Elizabeth is a character who is deeply conflicted, torn between her love for her estranged husband, Walter, and her growing attraction to the newcomer, Brinsley Sheridan. Mrs. Bates connects the flowers to significant moments in her life: “It was chrysanthemums when I married him, and chrysanthemums when you (Annie) were born” (Lawrence 8).
Through careful portrayal of Elizabeth’s emotions, Lawrence shows readers the depth and richness of human experience and the often-painful conflicts that arise within people as they navigate the complexities of their lives. A vase of chrysanthemums is accidentally knocked over by one of the miners carrying Mr. Bates’ body at the end of the narrative. It represents the breakdown of Mrs. Bates’ beliefs and the demise of the Bateses’ marriage as she perceived it. It is debated whether or not the symbolism of the chrysanthemums is crucial to the narrative.
Interpersonal Relationships and Social Context
Lawrence’s ability to accurately convey the subtleties of interpersonal connections is another crucial feature of his representation of the human experience in “Odour of Chrysanthemums”. The complicated and multi-layered relationships between Elizabeth, Walter, and Brinsley mirror the tensions and conflicts that can develop in any relationship. Through describing these connections, Lawrence illustrates how human connection can be a source of enormous joy and a reason for intense grief and suffering.
Lawrence’s depiction of the individuals and their hardships mirrors the period’s more significant social and economic circumstances. The novel is set in a mining hamlet where the harsh realities of life are continuously apparent. Lawrence demonstrates how the larger forces of history and culture impact the human experience through his eloquent depiction of these circumstances.
Conclusion
Overall, “Odour of Chrysanthemums” is a compelling investigation of the richness and depth of human experience. Lawrence shows us how various circumstances, from one’s identity to societal and cultural background, affect the human condition via his realistic depictions of characters, emotions, and relationships. Lawrence leaves readers with a profound grasp of what it is to be human in a frequently brutal world by illuminating the core of the human experience in all its richness and complexity.
Works Cited
Cushman, Keith. “D. H. Lawrence at Work: The Making of “Odour of Chrysanthemums.”” Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 2, no. 3, 1971, pp. 367–392. Web.
Ghounane, N, et al. “Female Madness and Trauma in D.H.Lawrence’ Odour of Chrysanthemums.” University of Saida, 2020. Web.
Gökçek, Aycan. “The Significance of Epiphany in D.H. Lawrence’s Short Story “the Odor of Chrysanthemums.”” Advances in Language and Literary Studies, vol. 11, no. 5. 2020, p. 32. Web.
Lawrence, D. H. Odour of Chrysanthemums. TSS, 2018. Web.
Sercan, Hamza Bağlama. The Ideological Crisis of D. H. Lawrence in “Odour of Chrysanthemums”: Industrialism and Disintegration. 2013.