Odour of Chrysenthemums

A detailed Summary of Odour of Chrysenthemums

The vivid point of view in D.H Lawrence's "Odour Of Chrysenthemums" is fundamental to the success with which Hemmingway has portrayed the complex network of feelings within the Bates household, especially that of the wife, Elizabeth who is trapped in a strained and loveless marriage with a drunkard. In the following narrative, Lawrence also portrays aspects of the life he knew as a boy in the coal mining village where he was born, as it parallels the unhappy married life of Lawrence's father and mother. The point of view theoretically allows Lawrence's values and attitudes to be ....... Through the use of other narrative conventions such as the setting, expert characterization and the impassive selection of detail, encircled by the impersonal point of view, Hemmingway achieves in embodying the reader's sympathy towards Elizabeth Bates.

The setting of this story plays an integral part in readers being able to understand the actions and the feelings of the main characters. In the text, the English countryside is divided between industrial and rural landscapes. The manner in which Lawrence utilizes these landscapes as a means by which to shape the main characters in his short story illustrates his inherent ability to successfu

Another technique used is the use of dialogue, which in this case is the short and sharp conversations Nick has between his father. It is through the dialogues that the characters reveal themselves, and reveal the issues Hemmingway wants to raise. The conversations bring out the insensitivity of Nick's dad against the innocence of Nick. For example, Nick asks his dad "Oh, Daddy, can't you give her something to make her stop screaming?" and Nick's dad replies "No, I haven't any anesthetic. But her screams are not important. I don't hear them because they are not important." This short and simple conversation between father and son portrays the thoughtlessness of the father as he is oblivious to his son's innocent remarks, and also the father's selfishness as he puts himself first, before the patient and his son. Another conversation which takes place towards the conclusion of this story is one in which Nick asks his dad "Why did he kill himself, Daddy?" and to which the dad replies, "I don't know, Nick. He couldn't stand things, I guess". This clearly shows that the father is insensitive as to what he is telling his son and exposing him to. As death is a very sensitive issue especially to kids and making them understand it without frightening them is quite hard. At a tender age of only ten, Nick has been exposed to a lot of profound events that most kids of his age would not have even thought about, and this is due to his father's carelessness and insensitivity. Thus the experiences Nick has gone through had brought about a loss of innocence. Through the characterization of Nick, which has been presented by a third pers

Some common words found in the essay are:
Oh Daddy, Elizabeth Bates, Uncle George, Odour Chrysenthemums, Indian Camp, Caesarian Indian, nick's dad, George Damn, George Indian, third person view, third person, uncle george, person view, selection detail, , mining village, haven't anesthetic, impassive selection, father son, short story, impassive selection detail,

Approximate Word count = 1103
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English