Death in a Flower Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "Marriage is not an open question, when it is held, since the world began, that those who are in the institution desire to go out, and such are you outside and wish to enter?” (Smart quote). Emerson's expressions are all too true for many married people as well as those in serious relationships. It seems that committing to marriage is a step that many take only to find out it was a mistake. Nothing is ever perfect in relationships, as well as in life and death. D.H. Lawrence similarly illustrates the theme of relationships and their failure in life in his short story "The Smell of Chrysanthemums." He realistically demonstrates these themes with “ruthless self-discovery sometimes brought about only through the death of another” (72). In the story, Mrs. Elizabeth Bates, the protagonist, realizes the harsh reality of marriage while waiting for her husband to arrive. home from the mine one night. She is bombarded by the thought of him getting drunk in the local tavern and is furious at his recklessness towards the children and her. When Elizabeth discovers her husband's death, she realizes that she never loved him; it was simply a stepping stone for her two children and her unborn child into the world. Through diction in “The Smell of Chrysanthemums,” a depressing and thought-provoking story, Lawrence majestically uses beautiful language and vivid scenes through imagery, foreshadowing, and symbolism to portray the difficult times in Elizabeth's life. The main theme of the story is that truth and relationships in life are often difficult and are sometimes not understood until the final tragedy, death. Conflict is very strong in Elizabeth's life. As the plot thickens, he begins to discover the truths of his life through the events of the day. Realizing that her husband is the root of much of the conflict, Elizabeth takes a deeper look at her own flesh -------------------------- --- ----------------------------------------------- --- -Page 2e blood: his son. "She saw herself in her son's silence and pertinacity; she saw her father in his son's indifference to everything but himself" (75). Lawrence characterizes Elizabeth through her son's action. He begins to see traits in his son that he hadn't noticed before; furthermore, the fact that she considers herself calm and determined in her son's personality makes her seem like a loving and caring mother. Instead, he sees in the child a selfish image inherited from the father, characterizing the father as a bad influence on the child..