Feminism in John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums
At first glance John Steinbeck’s "The Chrysanthemums" seems to be a story about a woman whose niche is in the garden. Upon deeper inspection the story has strong notes of feminism in the central character Elisa Allen. Elisa’s actions and feelings reflect her struggle as a woman trying and failing to emasculate herself in a male dominated society. Elisa is at her strongest and most proud in the garden and becomes weak when placed in feminine positions such as going out to dinner with her husband. Steinbeck carefully narrates this woman’s frequent shifts between femininity and masculinity over a short period of time.
In the opening of the story Elisa is emasculated by the description of her clothing. She wears "a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron…" (paragraph 5). When Elisa’s husband Henry comes over and compliments her garden and ability to grow things Elisa is smug with him and very proud of her skill with the flowers. Her "green thumb" makes her an equal in her own eyes. When Elisa’s husband asks her if she would like to go to dinner her feminine side comes out. She is excited to go eat at a restaurant and states that she would much rather go to the movies than go see the fights, she "wouldn’t like the fight’s" at all (paragraph 21). Elisa is taken aback with her own submissiveness and quickly becomes preoccupied with her flowers as soon as her husband leaves. When the drifter comes and asks Elisa for work to do she is stern with him and refuses him a job. She acts as a man would to another strange man and becomes irritated. When he persists in asking her she reply’s "I tell you I have nothing like that for you to do" (paragraph 46). The drifter mentions Elisa’s chrysanthemums and she immediately loosens up as "the irritation and resistance melt(ed) from her face" (paragraph 51). The drifter feigns great interest in Elisa’s chrysanthemums and asks her many questions about them. He tells her he knows a lady who said to him "if you ever come across some nice chrysanthemums I wish you’d try to get me a few seeds" (paragraph 56). Elisa is overjoyed by any interest in her flowers and gives the man chrysanthemum sprouts to take to his friend.
Everyone wants their food to taste superb when going out to eat. Both restaurants served excellent homemade chips and salsas as well as queso dip. Reading the menu to order was no problem and both places had a wide variety of options to choose...
“Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826).” American History Central. MIT school of engineering. August 2003. Web. 24 March 2014.
Within Steinbeck's story, "Chrysanthemums," the main character, Elisa Allen, is confronted with many instances of conflict. Steinbeck uses chrysanthemums to symbolize this conflict and Elisa's self-worth. By examining these points of conflict and the symbolism presented by the chrysanthemums, the meaning of the story can be better determined.
The two short stories have different characters, plot and setting and yet they have a common ground in which human beings are deeply involved. In short, the setting of each work powerfully suggests a rather calm, dull and peaceful mood at a superficial level; however, the main characters are struggling from the uncontrollable passions and exploding desire at heart. First of all, in "The Chrysanthemums" the Salinas Valley is depicted as somewhat dull, like "a closed pot." In addition, its geographical setting represents an isolated atmosphere, and, furthermore, Elisa's actions of handling chrysanthemums can be translated into a static, inactive one. However, when it comes to her concealed passion, the whole picture in this piece can be interpreted in a different way. In fact, Elisa is portrayed as "over-eager, over-powerful" in a sharp contrast to the unanimated space in which she lives. On top of that, Elisa expresses her volition to explore uncharted worlds like the peddler who happens to visit her farm house. Also, it must be noted that, even though Elisa does not reveal her desire openly largely due to the authoritative patriarchal system, Elisa's interior motive is directed toward the violent, bloody prizefights. In other words, the imbalance between the relatively restricted setting and Elisa's vaulting desire to wander into the unknown territory is chiefly designed to strengthen the overall imagery of Elisa, whose drive to experience the violent outer world. At the same time, it can be inferred that appearance (setting) and reality (Elisa's human nature) are hard to understand.
Elisa is a trapped woman. She is trapped in her “closed off” (Steinbeck 459) location of the Salinas Valley; trapped in her “blocked and heavy” “gardening costume” (Steinbeck 460); trapped behind her “wire fence” (Steinbeck 460). Elisa is trapped woman, however all of the things that keep her trapped are ultimately hers: “her wire fence” or her constricting clothing (Steinbeck 460). Elisa's inability to step beyond her boundaries ultimately leads to her continued unhappiness and feeling of entrapment in her feminine role.
Elisa Allen is a thirty-five-year-old woman who lives on a ranch in the Salinas Valley with her husband Henry. She is "lean and strong," and wears shapeless, functional clothes (Steinbeck 203). The couple has no children, no pets, no near neighbors, and Henry is busy doing chores on the ranch throughout the day. Elisa fills her hours by vigorously cleaning the ''hard-swept looking little house, with hard-polished windows,'' and by tending her flower garden (204). She has ''a gift'' for growing things, especially her chrysanthemums, and she is proud of it (204).
Until 1946 there was little assumption that additional knowledge could be uncovered regarding the Holy Scriptures however through the discovery of ancient scrolls excavated in a settlement located near the Dead Sea, more details have become available to historians regarding both the first century Jewish and Christian communities. Uncovered were several hundred scrolls that have now become known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
...and ready to be rediscovered again. Early in the story Henry offers Elisa to a dinner in town and half heartedly suggests going to a local fight. Elisa not keen of fights refuses. In retrospect to her inner ambitions Steinbeck tactfully portrays the message that the only way to follow “the bright direction” Elisa strongly wants is to be willing to fight for it. Nonetheless, don’t be fooled to believe any such inspirations to be acquired will come to you. But Elisa verily on the edge at the end of the story asks Henry about the fights and he suggests if she wants to go. She refuses, Steinbeck again symbolically suggesting she is unwilling to fight for what she wants. So her chrysanthemums will remain out of reach until she decides to do so.
...with these side effects, researchers are worried that cancer cells are capable of genetic mutations that make them resistant to damage done by chemo and radiation (Radiation Therapy Side Effects). That is where stem cells come in handy. When embryonic stem cells are applied to the tumor they try to repair the damage done and can prevent the cancer from spreading or creating a secondary cancer. Also, using stem cells would be a more natural way to rid of the disease. Since a patient would be using human cells to attack the cancer there are no traumatic side effects that come with it. Some of the few side effects of stem cell transfusions include irritated skin where the transfusion was made and fatigue. Typically these symptoms fade away three months after the transfusion (Dr. Martin, Thomas, and Lisa Considine). Cancer affects many families around the globe.
Spinothalamic system- sends pain from our bodies to our brains in order for it to register
Law enforcements around the US have worked extremely hard to prevent drinking and driving. Checkpoints were established to help prevent DUIs. In Sedalia, for example, mostly they are on “big nights” such as prom, Fourth of July, and graduation. A DUI checkpoint is when police officers block the road with barriers or vehicles. Before being a loud to go through the checkpoint, the driver must have a conversation with the officer and present his or her driver’s license. If the driver is shown to have signs of drinking alcohol, the officer can give the driver a sobriety test or a Breathalyzer.
He is like other authors, sympathetic to their opposite gender. “The Chrysanthemums” is one of his works were he basically expresses his opinion and how he feels about women. This story is about Elisa Allen, a woman who’s is doing her favorite thing planting and growing chrysanthemums. She is very passionate about doing this. Elis feels superior and strong when working with her flowers, “The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy.” (Steinbeck, John 1) Her husband doesn’t appreciate her talent. He tells her “I wish you’d work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big.” (Steinbeck, John 2) The inferior and weak woman starts to come out now. It came out even more after her husband said that but also when she and her husband are driving to town. She sees the flowers the pot mender had asked for dumped on the side of the road. He must have dumped them right after he left her house. The pot mender played her. He acted interested in what she was doing so Elisa would have sympathy for him and give him something to fix up. With the way her husband and the pot mender acted toward her and her plants made her feel rejected and hurt.
Elisa Allen is a strong woman. She is strong because of her manly qualities. Her masculinity shines through because of the way she covers up herself. There was a feminine part of her wanting to emerge as she wore the "print dress" (279) while working in her flower garden. However, the men's clothing and accessories she wore covered this up. The "squatting" (281) position she engaged in to work in her garden was not the feminine kneeling that a true lady would have chosen. She "shoved the thick scissors in her apron pocket" (282), which was not the delicate way a woman would have done it. She was not able to cultivate her chrysanthemums in a way that was gentle and loving because of her masculine traits. She was not squeamish when it came to protecting her flowers. She would simply use her "fingers" (280) to eliminate any type of pest that was a threat to them. A true woman would have gagged at the very thought of using her bare hands to mash a bug. Elisa was a hard and successful laborer because her chrysanthemums "had ten-inch blooms" (283); however, she still had not succeeded in child bearing.
Elisa is a country housewife. She is semi-distant from her husband and greatly distant from the world around her. She is a homebody, meaning that she rarely leaves the boundaries of her home and she has a lot of time and energy being built up. She uses some of this energy to clean up her house, but most of it is spent on her flower garden. Her garden is a place of solitude. It’s her own little world where she can let herself go and be the person that she wants to be. Her feminine side is brought out in her garden, the nurturer for the chrysanthemums, a mother almost to them. When the tinkerer comes to her home and into her garden he shows interest in her chrysanthemums. She takes this also as an interest in her as well. The garden in other words is a symbol for her femininity and womanhood.
His success at the World cups also made Jonah a very rich guy. He was offered serious money to play rugby in England and was even asked to play football in the NFL. Jonah turned those offers down to keep playing the sport in New Zealand. But the big giant's career took a turn for the worst in 1996. Doctors told him he had a rare and serious kidney disorder. Jonah had to take nearly a full year off from the game. He wasn't able to play rugby because of the drugs he was taking to fight the illness.