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The locomotive engine may be symbolic of Walter. It is an overwhelming thing, strong and powerful, the way that Walter is a huge part of her life. However, it is also impersonable and cold, just as her relationship to her husband is. Her moments with her husband, like "the winding engine" are hurried "with brief pauses". Lawrence describes their intimacy as an "exchanging of nakedness," but without any real connection for long periods of time. …

…at this thought for there is no real relationship in her life, not even a marital one. The title is significant in that chrysanthemums grow outside of the Bates' home, were at the wedding of the Bates', and at her child's birth, yet Elizabeth hates the smell of them. She says, "No . . . not to me," when her son asks, "Don't they smell beautiful?" Finally, the chrysanthemums give off a "cold, deathly smell" when Walter dies.