“Odour of Chrysanthemums” tells the story of working-class coal miners and their families in England in the early 20th century. One of the ways that Lawrence makes his story feel true-to-life is through his use of working-class dialect in dialogue between characters. Take the following passage, for example, in which Walter’s coworker Mr. Rigley explains to Elizabeth that he last saw Walter at the end of their work shift at the mine:
“Ah left ’im finishin’ a stint,” he began. “Loose-a’ ’ad bin gone about ten minutes when we com’n away, an’ I shouted, ‘Are ter cornin’, Walt?’ an’ ’e said, ‘Go on, Ah shanna be but a’ef a minnit,’ so we com’n ter th’ bottom, me an’ Bower, thinkin’ as ’e wor just behint us. Ah’d a ta’en a hoath as ’e wor just behint—an’ ’ud come up i’ th’ next bande——”
For some readers, this passage may feel nearly impossible to interpret. Lawrence changes many words’ spelling in order to demonstrate the specific qualities of working-class British accents at the time. “Coming” becomes both “com’n’” and “cornin’,” “minute” becomes “minnit,” “taken” becomes “ta’en,” and so on. The grammar also reflects this particular dialect, with Mr. Rigley saying things like, “[M]e an’ Bower, thinkin’ as ’e wor just behint us,” rather than, “Bower and I thought that he was just behind us.”
It is notable that, though Elizabeth’s accent is less thick, she understands Mr. Rigley completely, implying that she may have come from a higher class position but has integrated fully into this working-class mining community. Because Elizabeth understands Mr. Rigley's dialect, she is able to understand that something may have happened to Walter in the mines (such as a fatal accident) to delay his return home.
