The chrysanthemums by john steinbeck analysis. The Chrysanthemums Summary & Analysis 2022-11-08
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The Chrysanthemums is a short story written by John Steinbeck in which he explores the theme of the suppression of feminine identity. The story follows Elisa Allen, a strong and capable woman who feels trapped and unfulfilled in her domestic role as a farmer's wife. Through the character of Elisa, Steinbeck examines the ways in which societal expectations and gender roles can limit a person's potential and stifle their personal growth.
At the beginning of the story, Elisa is shown tending to her chrysanthemums, a task that she takes great pride in. The flowers represent Elisa's creativity and passion, which she is able to express through her gardening. However, her husband Henry does not seem to understand or appreciate her love for the flowers, and he dismisses them as "just a lot of fuss." This lack of understanding and validation from Henry serves to further alienate Elisa and reinforce her feelings of isolation and insignificance.
Elisa's encounter with the tinker, a traveling salesman, provides a brief moment of connection and validation for her. The tinker recognizes the beauty and value of Elisa's chrysanthemums, and he expresses a genuine interest in her work. This recognition is significant because it is something that Elisa has been lacking in her life. It serves as a reminder of the potential that she has to pursue her own interests and passions outside of the limited role of a farmer's wife.
Despite this moment of connection, Elisa ultimately decides to give her chrysanthemums to the tinker, symbolically relinquishing her own identity and creative expression. This decision is influenced by the fact that the tinker is a man, and Elisa feels that she must conform to traditional gender roles in order to be accepted and valued by society. This act of self-sacrifice highlights the ways in which the expectations placed on women can restrict their ability to assert their own identity and agency.
Overall, The Chrysanthemums is a poignant exploration of the struggles faced by women in a male-dominated society. Steinbeck's portrayal of Elisa's inner turmoil and her ultimate decision to give up her chrysanthemums serves as a commentary on the ways in which traditional gender roles can limit a person's potential and suppress their true identity.
John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums: Analysis
The story is about Elisa's repressed sexuality and neglected femininity, and the symbols in the story help to develop the themes. Rosaleen, a very strong woman mentally and physically, stands up for what she believes in, no matter what the consequence. Elisa is shown as powerless and not appreciated by her husband. Hot and sharp and—lovely. This point of view is necessary to the story because it is clearly showing us that men around the twenties disregard a lot of beautiful and intelligent women like Elisa. She stands his polished shoes on the floor near the bed and goes to the porch to wait. Coming to the elements of the short story, the protagonist as mentioned in summary is Elisa Allen who is a thirty-five old woman with a lot of energy and almost masculine appearance because of the way she dresses up while working on the plants in her garden.
Finding Feminism In John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums"
One afternoon while she is attending to her flowers she meets a traveling salesman who stops and admires her flowers. Elisa is working in her garden tending her chrysanthemum plants. Still on her knees in a submissive position, Elisa nearly touches the tinker before dropping her hands. Despite having the available technology, Steinbeck refused to write using a typewriter and wrote all of his works by hand. At the beginning, the protagonist, Elisa Allen, is described in a very masculine manner. When he tells her about how he sleeps in a wagon and constantly travels,… Literary Criticism of John Steinbeck's the Chysanthemums To fully appreciate literature, we must look at it from every angle possible.
She turns up her coat collar so he can't seethat she's crying. In this story, Steinbeck writes about a woman named Juana who lives in poverty with her husband Kino, and their son Coyotito. . The narrative begins with the protagonist working in the garden. It will be plenty" 348. For some, these requests are no more than Elisa's own, rather pathetic attempts to satisfy a deeper yearning with a superficial activity that will never accomplish the goal. To her, the Chrysanthemums symbolized her children.
The Chrysanthemums ‘The Chrysanthemums’: The End Summary and Analysis
She hides her face from Henry and quietly cries. He then drives his attention to her chrysanthemums, Elisa becomes very excited. On the way to the restaurant, Elisa spots her flower pots and is upset for the way her love and affection were rejected by the Tinker. What if its ramification was losing what they loved most? Chrysanthemums are famously the last flowers to bloom in the year before winter fully takes hold. Elise gives the chrysanthemums to him just as she gives away herself, both of which he ignores and tosses aside. She protected these flowers just as a mother would protect her children. Henry goes to fetch the car and Elisa returns to the house to find her coat.
By the latter part of the story, the readers can see a different Elisa; she no longer resembles the Elisa earlier in the story. Excited, Elisa says he can take her some shoots in a pot filled with damp sand. When John moved back to California he met his first wife who actually worked and support John while he threw himself into his writing. They drive in silence, and then Elisa asks Henry about the fights he spoke about in town. The only thing for Elisa to keep herself busy with are the chrysanthemums that needed her undivided attention and constant care. In the light of things, Elisa loves to be in her gardens, taking care of… Chrysanthemums In The Chrysanthemums, Steinbeck tells a story of a married couple living on a farm.
The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck Analysis Essay Example
Elisa Allen, a woman approaching middle age, is at a point in her life when she has begun to realize that her energy and creative drive far exceed the opportunities for their expression. She crouched low like a fawning dog. With the many waves of feminism that our country has faced, different books have been revisited as facets to inspire feminism. Her husband, Henry Allen is in another part of the farmyard talking to two men who are wearing suits. Inspired by the encounter, Elisa takes extra time getting ready, and Henry remarks how nice she looks. The tinker represents that life Elise wishes to live.
After dropping out of Stanford, John briefly moved to New York to find that the place he loved to be the most is his homeland In California. Her physical position shows that she is ready to submit to the Tinker. Businesses ended, and massive unemployment led to people being unable to feed their families. In 1938, women were still living in a society dominated by men. Eliza, submissive and loyal, does not addresses her discontent with her husband and their relationship remains empty. Through gardening, Elisa is able to express her mothering nature and is eager to help in the apple orchard when her husband mentions it. Women had been fighting for their rights for a very long time, but their voice was always repressed by men of their time.
The sun is not shining, and fog covers the valley. Although to most readers, "crying weakly-like an old woman" 348 represents a kind of mournful failure, others have argued that there can be something beautiful and cathartic in this image, which should be appreciated as such. As she tends the flowers, she is determined, but also seems a bit forlorn. When the tinker man arrives she becomes aware of her loneliness and her suppressed desires. He jokes that he could take her to a fight, but she says that she ''wouldn't like fights. She looks at herself a good while, at her naked body and judges herself. In all of his writings John Steinbeck is very detailed.
When the man agrees to take the chrysanthemums to the woman along the route, Elisa feels as if a piece of her is escaping her oppressive life. She initially says no, but when the tinker takes an interest in her chrysanthemums, she lets down her guard. The Chrysanthemums in the story are symbolic of sexuality and yearning. For Elisa, her accomplishment with her chrysanthemums is her means to make a significant contribution in society. Steinbeck grew up in a small settlement town deep in the Salinas Valley and worked side-by-side with migrant laborers, gaining insight and empathy into their difficult existence. The male sex had always been recognized as superior while the female sex was perceived as inferior; thus, they are not given the same opportunities. He had previously composed an article titled Starvation Under the Orange Trees in 1938 which detailed the hardships that migrant farmers faces in California.
