Discussing the Chrysanthemums

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Discussing the Chrysanthemums

In studying the various schools of criticism and using them to

decipher the inner workings of novels, short stories, and poems, it

becomes apparent that they all share a common factor: a theme. The

theme of a story is the general idea or insight, which is revealed by

the entire story (Kennedy, 195). Although there are many themes that

seem to be similar, it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to find to

stories with identical themes. Two stories with similar themes,

however, are "The Chrysanthemums," by John Steinbeck, and "The Yellow

Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. These two stories show the

damage caused by male domination in the past.

The short story "The Chrysanthemums" gives insight into the life of

its author; John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas,

California. The locale of the story is of key resemblance to the

Salinas in which Steinbeck was born and bread. "Salinas was a typical

American small town, [differing] only in location and a few

distinctive features" (McCarthy 3). The story begins by displaying the

setting: "The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas

Valley from the sky and the rest of the world."

Though this does not directly illustrate the theme, the setting plays

a role in building Elisa Allen's "prison." The main protagonist in

"The Chrysanthemums," Elisa Allen, is a mid-aged housewife who also

has a passion for growing chrysanthemums. This passion expressed in

the planting of these flowers brings out the suppressed romance in her

life. The fact that she is childless seems to have sublimated her

motherly instincts to produce extraordinary flowers. Nevertheless,

"the plants and flowers cannot compensate for t...

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...nius soon tells Ophelia that she must seek out

Hamlet. Much to her dismay, Hamlet rejects her, and this begins a

downward spiral for Ophelia. She begins acting in a depressed fashion,

and everyone begins to think she has gone mad. Unfortunately, all the

negative light placed upon Ophelia leads to her death. It is not

certain whether she was murdered or whether she in fact committed

suicide, but she came to a tragic end by drowning.

The events in "Hamlet" and "The Chrysanthemums," though different in

appearance show a very similar topic. The problem of male dominance is

shown in both situations to devastate the emotions of the women. In

showing respect and obedience for the male characters, the females are

in fact hurting themselves. This theme of male dominance destroying

the psyche of women has been, and will continue to be a major theme in

literature.

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