Character Roles in Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums

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In "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck, Elisa's role shifts several times throughout the story, from a loving, sensitive wife to a strong, independent woman and back. Her attraction to a traveling repairman and his interest in her prized chrysanthemums give her a feeling of strength that she does not achieve from being with her husband, Henry. However, she eventually finds that she was swindled and returns to being an overly sensitive woman. Elisa's dedication to her chrysanthemums is evident in the story, and she works too hard on them. According to Hughes (23), "her work with the scissors [is] over-eager, over-powerful." When the repairman shows interest in her flowers, Elisa becomes attracted to him. It almost seems like Elisa lives through her flowers, and they are a reflection of her. Even though Henry doesn't pay attention to her garden, Elisa invites the repairman into the garden after just a few minutes. Since Henry didn't seem to care, Elisa felt a sense of strength and beauty after the repairman showed interest. After the meeting with the repairman, she stands in front of the mirror naked, staring at her body. Upon Henry's return, she presses him for his thoughts on her appearance. These things make Elisa a "Steinbeck strong woman" with seemingly masculine traits. Steinbeck's imagery also lends to this sense of masculinity surrounding Elisa. The most noticeable change in Elisa's character is when she realizes that the repairman had duped her into making some money. After seeing her chrysanthemum stalks on the side of the road after leaving with Henry, she begins to cry, although she tries hard to hide it from her husband.

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