Chrysanthemums

Throughout history, women have been portrayed as the weaker sex. As a result of these unfair social assumptions, women have been working hard to dissociate themselves from this stereotype and become more independent with their lives. In the story “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck, he describes Elisa Allen's frustration with her marriage, her sense of isolation from the world, and her hidden desires to express herself as a woman and to explore her sexuality by living a more passionate life.

The setting plays a significant role in the story. It reinforces Elisa's feelings of isolation from the world. The tale is set in the beautiful valley of Salinas, California, but with all its beauty, this location takes on the role of some sort of prison in which one could feel trapped. "The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world. On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot" (260). We can see how this atmosphere could have a negative effect on a person. Another part of the setting that plays an equally important roll is the fence that surrounds Elisa's garden from her husband and the rest of the world. "…He leaned over the wire fence that protected her flower garden from cattle and dogs and chickens" (260). These animals represent Henry's world, while the garden represents hers. The peddler is the first person to want to enter her world. Later Elisa decides to let him into her garden, and with that act, breaks the barrier that has isolated her from the outside.

The chrysanthemums themselves and her clothes illustrate a great deal about Elisa's struggle to find her own identity. The chrysanthemums meant a great deal to her. She grew them with the work of her hands and the care of her heart. We observe this when she talks about them so passionately with the peddler. The author portrays that "the stems seemed too small and easy for her energy" (260). This symbol makes it clear to the reader that she wants more from life than just being a gardener. Her initial appearance in the story is incredibly conservative and manly; "Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's black hat pulled down over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes and heavy leather gloves…" yet still allows a feminine side to be noticed, "She wore a figured print dress a...

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... has no desire to try and be strong, and realizes that she can never live up to the expectations she places on herself. She realizes all the peddler wanted was the pots. The entire experience was a lie. Elisa felt a false sense of awakening, and it affected her strongly. In an attempt to save her newly discovered strength and will, she asks Henry about the prizefights. Henry replies that she would not like the fights, putting Elisa back into the chains of domination that she felt she had broken free from not to long ago.

At first glance, this is a simple story about a simple time, when men were the only support of a family and women were at hand to serve them. However, the further we look into the story, we discover a woman of outstanding will trying to force herself into society as an individual. Even though her revolution is brief, Elisa comes of age by discovering the world beyond her garden and coming into the realization that she too could make a difference in the world.

Work Cited

Steinbeck, John “The Chrysthemums” Literature and the Writing Process. Elizabeth

McMahan, Susan X Day, and Robert Funk. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Prentice, 1999. 260-266.