Odour of Chrysanthemums Marriage Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

She seemed to be occupied by her husband. He had probably gone past his home, slunk past his own door, to drink before he came in, while his dinner spoiled and wasted in waiting. She glanced at the clock, then took the potatoes to strain them in the yard. (1.36)

We quickly learn that Elizabeth and her husband, Walter, don't have the happiest of married lives. We haven't even learned Walt's name yet (in this story, Lawrence often likes to refer to people by their gender or place in the family), but we already know Elizabeth sees him as a bad husband.

Quote #2

"No," she said, "not to me. It was chrysanthemums when I married him, and chrysanthemums when you were born, and the first time they ever brought him home drunk, he'd got brown chrysanthemums in his button-hole." (1.76)

Here, Elizabeth is denying that the smell of chrysanthemums holds any appeal for her, partially because they remind her of her wedding. Again, Lawrence is really driving home that these guys don't get along.

Quote #3

As they stumbled up the entry, Elizabeth Bates heard Rigley's wife run across the yard and open her neighbour's door. At this, suddenly all the blood in her body seemed to switch away from her heart. (2.29)

As already noted elsewhere, Lawrence likes to define characters according to their familial/marital relationships. This moment provides a good example, as we never learn Mrs. Rigley's name; she is simply Mrs. Rigley or "Rigley's wife."