Everyone is "on the clock" in "The Odour of Chrysanthemums." Repeated references to the time—and, in particular, Elizabeth's hyper-attentiveness to time's passage—heighten our anxiety about Walter's absence and make us increasingly aware that there's something unusual about this particular evening. Of course, given that another big theme is death, perhaps the attention to time is supposed to get readers thinking about how time is ticking away generally for everyone…Pardon us while we go sign up for a 10K because, you know, carpe diem.
Questions About Time
- What do the repeated references to the clock/time do for the story (other than just help us keep track of when in the evening events occur)?
- Do the references to the time affect your sense of the story's pacing? If so, how?
- How are the themes of death and time related?
Chew on This
By setting the story in the evening and drawing repeated attention to the clock/time, Lawrence emphasizes the notion of time running out, which, as a result, draws our attention to the theme of death.
The story uses repeated references to the clock to heighten suspense and highlight Elizabeth's growing sense that there's something very wrong with Walter's absence.