Chrysanthemum John Steinbeck Analysis

During the Great Depression, many human rights movements have changed the course of world order. At the time, a human rights movement dedicated to better rights for women was born to give everyone an equal life compared to their other gender. The story of this young woman by the end of the Great Depression highlights the tragedy and depression which women get from being inferior compared to men. In “Chrysanthemum”, by John Steinbeck, this story highlights the tendency and roles of women working to change in a world where the people and their families come close to the verge of poverty. In the beginning, Elisa is depicted as a young woman that aims to be strong by showing her role as a mother and caretaker of the household. As the story

In the story, Steinbeck used the third person limited point of view to show that Elisa still has that dim hope for change. We see her inner struggles by the chores she performs throughout the household as she acts “strong” towards her husband and the bearded man as a sign of responsibility in herself. In paragraph 8 of page 9, the narrator explicitly says, “Elisa stiffened and her face grew tight. Henry stopped short and looked at her. ‘Why—why, Elisa. You look so nice!’”. The composure that follows once Henry steps in shows Elisa’s loyalty towards her husband. This indicates that Elisa has changed from her usual self where she no longer has borders to instill her actions. Steinbeck further emphasizes how Elisa has changed by having the husband describe her physical and emotional transformation. The third person limited point of view increases how the feeling is described by showing how happy Elisa is after Henry comments on her clothing. This point of view increases the feelings that Elisa has shown throughout the story by showing what she expressed in the environment. It is only by the end when she finally realizes that taking down her borders had resulted to lagging from her current