The Chrysanthemums Allegory Analysis Essay

The Chrysanthemums: Allegory Analysis In the short story by John Steinbeck, The Chrysanthemums, symbolism, allegory and foreshadowing flood the story from start to finish. Steinbeck’s chosen words to describe the setting, plot and conclusion allows readers to evaluate and analyze the story in many ways. The story begins by describing the setting as enclosed, gray and repressive. Elisa Allen is introduced as the central character of the story, onto which the symbolism and allegory mainly affect. As the story develops further, Elisa’s encounter with a Tinker, leads her to “explode those repressed desires,” (Shockett) which have been suppressed by the symbolically “closed pot” (Steinbeck) in which the story takes place. The use of literary techniques

There are some suggestive elements that portray her marriage with parallel qualities of her repressive life. As she dresses for a dinner out to town, she is transformed into a beautiful and confident woman, leaving behind the manly clothing and handsome face. However, her husband does not acknowledge her femininity and desire to receive a compliment or gesture of love. Palmerino’s analysis on the story adds that “ she is mired in a mismatched marriage…. and ultimately any possibility for progression.” (166) The condition of the marriage between Elisa and Henry, reflect the same emotions that Elisa feels about being confined to the duties conventional for a woman. Henry and Elisa’s marriage lacks the sexual, emotional and spiritual fulfillment that Elisa needs. In this story, Steinbeck allows the audience to interpret the characterization that he gives to settings, development of the plot and the characters, in such a way that the portrayal can be subjective to each reader. In Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums, use of literary techniques and the male-dominated condition that society was at that time, create the perfect combination for a plethora of