In “The Chrysanthemums”, a short story by John Steinbeck, a woman named Elisa has an unfavorable encounter with a traveling repairman who takes advantage of Elisa’s charity to make a sale. As the plot progresses Elisa changes, and the eventual evolution in her understanding of her place in society is foreshadowed. Initially Elisa is seen tending to her garden with great devotion such that she is seen as capable and strong. Based on the fact that Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” was published in 1938, one can surmise that Steinbeck created Elisa to reflect the women of the time period. Elisa is faced with limits that she cannot overcome, such as limited choices in employment and a stigmatization of women that opt to take up interests considered …show more content…
Elisa lives in a male-dominant society in which women are seen as less capable and as lesser citizens which reflects culture in 1930s America and present times to a lesser degree. This asymmetrical perception of women and men is ingrained into Elisa’s reality, and even when she is in her “place”, the garden that she greatly treasures, she cannot escape it. “She took off a glove and put her strong fingers down into the forest of new green chrysanthemum sprouts that were growing around the old roots” (229); that is to say beneath the surface, neither visible nor publicly recognized, lies the deeply-rooted beliefs of the old guard that Elisa can only hope to live around but never change them. This is again seen in the description of the salesman and his crew that visit Elisa on the evening depicted in the story, “It was an old spring-wagon, with a round canvas top on it like the cover of a prairie schooner. It was drawn by an old bay horse and a little grey-and-white burro” (230). In regard to the salesman, it is said that “Although his hair and beard were graying, he did not look old” (231). Based on this information, and assuming that the salesman is the antagonizing force in the story, it is these archaic beliefs that are holding Elisa back; she desires the open …show more content…
It is this understanding that shatters Elisa’s belief that she is in complete control of her own life. In the beginning of the story Elisa considers herself free and independent based on her attire, and this is reinforced by comments made by her husband. Yet, Steinbeck’s intentions were not to depict Elisa as the leading character, but rather as a realistic portrayal of the “man vs. society” struggle that women in 1930s were faced with. As such, Elisa Allen serves as a historical monument acknowledging the great strides that women have taken since then in order to create a truly equal and free American
While Boyle describes Mrs. Ames as elegant, gentle, and quiet, Steinbeck gives to Elisa more strength. Her face was “lean and strong”, and her figure looked “blocked and heavy in her gardening costume”. Both women find their own ways to cover lack of happiness in their everyday lives. The astronomer’s wife is managing the house finding the silliest things to keep her busy: “…from the removal of the spot left there from dinner on the astronomer’s vest to the severe trashing of the mayonnaise for lunch”. Elisa spends her days in garden raising chrysanthemums “bigger than anybody around here.” The fact that these two women did not have any children can mislead us to the conclusion that they were both trying to satisfy the instincts they were probably having at the age of thirty-five. While this is the case with Elisa, the astronomer’s wife had different problem: the lack of communication with her husband and incapability to understand the world he was in.
Although they differ in many different ways, both show that being trapped inside an isolated house and having a limited life under a husband's control leads to a miserable ending of a woman's life. While Gilman uses a lonely, big house where her main character stays for three months, Steinbeck creates a small farmhouse where Elisa lives and works. This definitely addresses their loneliness and isolation. Elisa works in her flower garden, in which she plants chrysanthemums bigger than anyone does in the Salinas Valley. She works alone in her small garden that is surrounded by a "wire fence" to protect from "cattle and dogs and chickens" (Steinbeck 503).
Steinbeck's strong and somewhat manly description of Elisa while working in the garden, gives the distinct impression that she is not as weak as a stereotypical housewife would be. He writes that "Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water. Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, 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 with four big pockets to hold the snips, the trowel and scratcher, the seeds and the knife she worked with." As evidenced by this excerpt you can see that she has covered up her hair with a "man's hat" and has thrown an apron over her dress in attempts to cover up her femininity. This apron also takes on a similar role as a man's tool belt as he works the land. This initial description lends to the notion that Elisa wants to be stronger as a woman, to stand beyond the stereotype of a housewife. Other phrases used by Steinbeck further the above points. The author mentions that her face was "handsome," her work with the scissors was "over-powerful," and her fingers "destroyed such pests." This description shows an inner strength that Elisa possesses; yet she is unable to bring this out. She also hints to the reader that she would like to take on more masculine responsibilities after her husband Henry comments on the size and beauty of her chrysanthemums. He says that he wishes she'd work out in the orchard and "raise some apples that big." She reacts to this by saying "Maybe I could do it too. I've got a gift with things, all right. My mother had it. She could stick anything in the ground and make it grow.” All of these de...
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).
Mrs. Sommers in “A Pair of Silk Stockings” uses extra money to indulge in luxury and to escape from her daily lifestyle. Aunt Georgiana in “A Wagner Matinée” relishes in the culture of music to remind her of the opportunities of the city and to evade her dreaded daily routine. The narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” contemplates the treatment of her current state and is able to free herself from her mind. These women find that there is more to a woman than her domestic skills, and that strength to find personal freedom can stem from many different places. The authors of these stories aimed to alter women’s roles in society during the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Not only did the feminist authors spark a new mindset regarding women in America, but the flame has lasted onto modern society. Since the time period of reevaluating women’s roles, America’s general standards of women have evolved into a more progressive state that can be attributed to the feminist authors who decided to challenge the norms of society with their
"The Chrysanthemums" is a good depiction of most marriages in the early 1900's, the husband is the chief breadwinner and the wife is considered nothing more than a housewife. "The simple story outlines are enriched by irony and imagery which contrast the rich land and the sterile marriage, the fertile plants and Elisa's inner emptiness" (McCarthy 26). The story begins by introducing the setting: "The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and the rest of the world" (Steinbeck 115). This vivid illustration unconsciously gives the reader a look into the dominating theme. However, it is not until the climax of the story that the reader begins to notice Elisa's true pain and need for her own self-identity. The main protagonist i...
In both Willa Cather’s novel O Pioneers! and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story "Mr. Peebles’ Heart" present the reader with strong, successful female characters. Alexandra Bergson, the heroine of O Pioneers!, becomes the manager and proprietor of a prosperous farm on the Nebraska frontier while Joan R. Bascom of "Mr. Peebles’ Heart" is a successful doctor. Cather and Gilman create competent, independent female characters that do not conform to the perceived societal standards for women in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. Both women must struggle against society’s perception of what they should be and how they should behave, however, Alexandra’s struggle leaves her emotionally distant while Joan’s struggle does not hinder her emotional attachments.
This frustration is evident when Elisa is first introduced. Her figure is described as "blocked and heavy" because she is wearing heavy gloves, heavy shoes, a "man's black hat," and a big apron that hides her printed dress (Steinbeck 330). Her home has the masculine qualities of being "hard-swept" and hard-polished" (Steinbeck 330). Elisa is bored with her husband and with her life (McMahan 455). Obviously, Elisa is unhappy with the traditional female role and is attempti...
A more clear example of how Elisa feels can be better explained by Steinbeck's description of the where Elisa and Henry live. "The high gray-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world. On e...
Society continually places restrictive standards on the female gender not only fifty years ago, but in today’s society as well. While many women have overcome many unfair prejudices and oppressions in the last fifty or so years, late nineteenth and early twentieth century women were forced to deal with a less understanding culture. In its various formulations, patriarchy posits men's traits and/or intentions as the cause of women's oppression. This way of thinking diverts attention from theorizing the social relations that place women in a disadvantageous position in every sphere of life and channels it towards men as the cause of women's oppression (Gimenez). Different people had many ways of voicing their opinions concerning gender inequalities amound women, including expressing their voices and opinions through their literature. By writing stories such as Daisy Miller and The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Henry James let readers understand and develop their own ideas on such a serious topic that took a major toll in American History. In this essay, I am going to compare Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” to James’ “Daisy Miller” as portraits of American women in peril and also the men that had a great influence.
Throughout time women have been written as the lesser sex, weaker, secondary characters. They are portrayed as dumb, stupid, and nothing more than their fading beauty. They are written as if they need to be saved or helped because they cannot help themselves. Women, such as Daisy Buchanan who believes all a woman can be is a “beautiful little fool”, Mrs Mallard who quite died when she lost her freedom from her husband, Eliza Perkins who rights the main character a woman who is a mental health patient who happens to be a woman being locked up by her husband, and then Carlos Andres Gomez who recognizes the sexism problem and wants to change it. Women in The Great Gatsby, “The Story of an Hour,” “The Yellow Wall Paper” and the poem “When” are oppressed because the fundamental concept of equality that America is based on undermines gender equality.
...ble to see that it actually incorporates themes of women’s rights. Gilman mainly used the setting to support her themes. This short story was written in 1892, at that time, there was only one women's suffrage law. Now, because of many determinant feminists, speakers, teachers, and writers, the women’s rights movement has grown increasing large and is still in progress today. This quite recent movement took over more then a century to grant women the rights they deserve to allow them to be seen as equals to men. This story was a creative and moving way to really show how life may have been as a woman in the nineteenth century.
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.
In “Frankenstein” penned by Mary Shelley, one cannot help but notice the role of women in the novel compared to men. Even though Mary Shelley is the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, a mother advocating for women’s rights in society, she displays the roles of Caroline, Elizabeth, and Justine as passive women. This may be the time period when women were considered inferior to men. Caroline, Elizabeth, and Justine are depicted as possessions by men, admired for their superficial beauty, and do not take action without the permission of men. On the other hand, Shelley illustrates Safie as a woman who speaks up for her own rights when her father forbids her to find Felix.
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.