Gender Roles In John Steinbeck's 'The Chrysanthemums'?

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In today’s society it appears to be that both genders have certain traditional roles. We see these things every day, everywhere one goes, and even on television. Women have always been known to be the weaker gender. They are the ones who shouldn’t hve a real paying job. According to men, the womens “job” is to sit at home all day doing chorse such as cooking, cleaning, washing, and taking care of everyone else. Men are known to be the strong gender, “The Boss.” Women and men have stereotype gender roles. Women are as strong, if not stronger than me. They are capable of doing the same things men do. According to the article “Feminists” it is said “systemic manner in which certain groups are privileged or disadvantaged because of their …show more content…

He is like other authors, sympathetic to their opposite gender. “The Chrysanthemums” is one of his works were he basically expresses his opinion and how he feels about women. This story is about Elisa Allen, a woman who’s is doing her favorite thing planting and growing chrysanthemums. She is very passionate about doing this. Elis feels superior and strong when working with her flowers, “The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy.” (Steinbeck, John 1) Her husband doesn’t appreciate her talent. He tells her “I wish you’d work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big.” (Steinbeck, John 2) The inferior and weak woman starts to come out now. It came out even more after her husband said that but also when she and her husband are driving to town. She sees the flowers the pot mender had asked for dumped on the side of the road. He must have dumped them right after he left her house. The pot mender played her. He acted interested in what she was doing so Elisa would have sympathy for him and give him something to fix up. With the way her husband and the pot mender acted toward her and her plants made her feel rejected and hurt. Men may be superior in some things, but women can do just about the same they do. In today’s society women now contribute to the working class. Not only are they capable of cleaning, cooking, raising kids, taking care of everyone else, but they can also maintain a steady job too. Women go through many different hardships throughout life that men do not. For example, monthly periods, giving birth, all the way to shaving legs. Until mean face the struggles and hardships of us girls then the can have the ability and right to call themselves the superior

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