D. H. Lawrence’s Odour of Chrysanthemums begins with an introduction to a woman living in a coal-mining village who feels trapped in an unhappy world of her husband’s making. Although her father is working-class (an engine-driver), her speech and behavior suggest that she aspires to a better life. The accidental death of her husband (a miner) triggers an epiphany in which she realizes that they never really knew each other, and that their problems were equally of her own making. The main theme is superficial (physical) attraction vs. love. Other themes: industrialization, social class, sex roles, isolation, mother-child connections, death. More…