In a small world, there is not much choice for a simple woman. Throughout history, women often are portrayed as the weaker sex. As a result of this assumption, women try to disassociate themselves from this custom and be more independent with their lives. One of John Steinbeck’s most accomplished short stories is, “The Chrysanthemums,” a story of an unhappy marriage of Elisa that takes place in the Salinas Valley of California. Elisa is coerced into a meager existence on her husband’s ranch. Particularly for Elisa, the world is as small as it appears, and she does not want to be a part in it any longer. She is feeling trapped in a life of servitude and suppressing a yearning for more. Therefore, Elisa takes a bold step towards her own providence. “The Chrysanthemums,” is a coming of age tale for a woman and a wife named Elisa who is portrayed as feminine, subservient, and conservative, though the reality is that she is instead a masculine, frustrated, and sensual woman who wants more out of life than Henry offers her. Therefore, her portrayal shows her dissatisfaction in her marriage.
Several times throughout the story, Elisa’s portrayal shows her masculine gender role that that leads to her dissatisfaction in her life. Elisa’s strength is almost to the point of masculinity. For example, Elisa is described in the story as powerful, handsome, strong, eager, and lean (Diyanni 460). Elisa could easily be mistaken for a man on the way she dresses up. She wears manly clothes and could be mistaken as a man from the distance. The way she looks and dresses up, she feels limited and underappreciated as a woman which adds to her dissatisfaction. In addition, according to Elizabeth McMahan, one of the critics from short story criticism, s...
... middle of paper ...
...d As Met.” Short Stories for Study, Harvard University Pres pp.115-52.
McMahan, Elizabeth E. Short Story Criticism. Vol. 2. Ed. David Segal. Second ed. United Kingdom: Gale Research International Limited, 1992. 214-16. Print.
Palmerino, Gregory J. “Steinbeck’s ‘The Chrysanthemums’.” The Explicator 62.3 (2004): 164+.Literature Resource Center. Web. 6 March. 2012.
Masterplots. The Chrysanthemums. The Big Sky-The Confidential Clerk. Vol. 2. Ed. Laurence W. Mazenno. Fourth ed. Pasadena, California: Salem Press, 1949. 1011-12. Print.
Schultz, Jeffrey, and Luchen Li. Critical Companion to John Steinbeck A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Checkmark Books, 2005. 50-52. Print.
Steinbeck, John. "The Chrysanthemums." Literature Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. Second ed. Boston: New York University, 2008. 459-66. Print.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath, The Moon is Down, Cannery Row, East of Eden, Of Mice and Men. New York: Heinemann/Octopus, 1979. pp.475 - 896.
...ll 2004): 47-62. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Vol. 111. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 May 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.
Bibliography:.. Works Cited Meyer, M., Ed., (1999). Bedford Introduction to Literature, 5th Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin.
Steinbeck, John. “The Chrysanthemums”. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama. 2nd ed. Ed. Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw, 2008. 459-466. Print.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
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).
Steinbeck, John E. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Group, 1993. 72. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Pike, Gerald. “Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Short Fiction Writers.” Short Story Criticism. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale Research International Limited, 1990. 90. Print.
Steinbeck, John. “The Chrysanthemums.” Fiction 101: An Anthology of Short Fiction. James H. Pickering. Twelfth Edition. Pearson Education, Inc., 2010. 1162-1168
Her lionhearted clothes reflected her valiant and strong attitude. However – Elisa Allen hid her true feelings. She was deceitful in interpersonal communication. Her tongue spilled bittersweet black smut like that of industrialized coal engines. However – it was compassionate, her concern and subtle behavior. A girl screaming to escape maiden life, but only knew it was disrupt order. “Her face was eager and mature and handsome; even her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful. “The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy.” Verily, she had the heart of a lion and the appearance of a virgin.
of how John Steinbeck uses extraordinary circumstances to create appeal and realism to the reader.
The traditional role of women in the American society has transformed as society has trended towards sexual equality. In the past women were expected to be submissive to the man and were looked upon as homemakers rather then providers. Modern day women enjoy the freedom of individuality and are considered as capable as men in many regards. John Steinbeck’s short story, “The Chrysanthemums,” portrays a woman’s struggle with accepting her life and role as a female (459). Through the protagonist-female character, Elisa Allen, and the symbolism of chrysanthemums, Steinbeck displays the gender roles that define past generations of women’s lives in the United States.
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.
Allen, Orphia J., Short Story Criticism. Vol 16. Ed. Thomas Vottler. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, Co., 1990.