Anxiety and fear ooze out of every pore in "The Odour of Chrysanthemums." At first, this anxiety is about if/whether/when Walter will come home drunk, which is sure to result in a confrontation between Walter and his wife since (understandably) Elizabeth doesn't approve of him skipping out on dinner without calling and then coming home hammered. However, this angry anxiety soon transitions into fear for his safety, and we slowly get the sense that something is really wrong with Walter. At the end of the story, fear completely takes over Elizabeth's thoughts as she contemplates death, reevaluates her entire relationship with her husband, and tries to figure out what comes next for her as a widowed mother of two (and soon to be three).
Pretty much everywhere you turn in this story, there's something to make you jumpy—or overwhelmed with existential terror. Cheerful, no?
Questions About Fear
- Why do you think fear/anxiety so dominant in the characters' emotions and the mood of a story as a whole?
- The story portrays a wide range of fears and anxieties—what are the differences/similarities between them, and why does it matter that these different kinds are portrayed?
- Is fear mobilizing or paralyzing in the story's universe?
Chew on This
Fear is dominant in this story because it highlights the paralysis of the characters; since they only really seem to feel fear or mistrust of other people and their actions, they are unable to move forward in their relationships/lives.
The fear that Elizabeth experiences at the end of the novel is a healthy/mobilizing one. Even though she seems to feel completely lost when the story closes, Walter's death has stripped away illusions about life and relationships that kept her chained to her stove/hearth, waiting for her husband to come home. With those illusions gone, she should be able to move forward.