Similarities Between The Secret Lion And The Chrysanthemums

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Some may argue that “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck and “The Secret Lion” by Alberto Alvaro Rios are two completely different stories with not a lot in common, but I believe otherwise. Both stories emphasize themes of loyalty and persistence, and their protagonists’ struggles appear to mirror the obstacles each writer faced during childhood. Additionally, both stories are appreciative of nature, and discuss the idea of how the places the authors used to love as children have since depreciated, either to them personally like the arroyo to Rios, or in general, like in the case of Steinbeck, the fall of the western frontier. Both stories are also bildungsroman but in different senses of the word, like in “The Chrysanthemums” it goes along …show more content…

“The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck is about a woman by the name of Elisa Allen, who is oppressed by the men in her life. She is not able to live up to her full potential due to the patriarchal and misogynistic ways of society. She is frustrated with her life because despite her potential, she is forced into a “sphere” where according to Skredsvig, in her article “Women’s Space, Women’s Place: Topoanalysis in Steinbeck’s ‘The Chrysanthemums’,” females are supposed to be feminine, delicate, and maternal as opposed to men who have their own sphere. Despite her talent with growing things, her husband doesn’t let her help with the ranch because she is a woman. She is instead expected to complete her “womanly duty” which includes keeping the house in order and tending the garden. Steinbeck shows how over qualified and frustrated Elisa is for the job by describing the perfect condition of the house and …show more content…

It is written through the point of view of a man looking back to his childhood, when he was going through puberty, and the world started losing its magic. As he got older, he started seeing things differently, for example the place that he once believed to be heaven became just a golf course. Melgosa argues in his article “Rios, Alberto Alvaro 1952—” that Ríos uses a lot of common themes such as magic in ordinary things, coming of age, nature, and “rich symbolism” in his writings, which includes “The Secret Lion.” Both Ríos and Steinbeck use elevation for symbolism in their stories. The Salinas valley, for example, in “The Chrysanthemums” is seen as “a pot with no sunshine in December,” signifying it is a sad place that Elisa is trapped in. On the other hand, the hill in “The Secret Lion” is seen as heaven. Both characters have need to go to higher land symbolically and literally. Additionally, the arroyo in “The Secret Lion” is also mentioned multiple times and is meant to represent innocence and childhood, which as the character grows up, he visits it less and less. Rios grew up near the Mexican-American border, playing in nature, therefore his stories are a blend of the two cultures, while incorporating nature. Steinbeck similarly pulls inspiration from his life events, for example Elisa from “The Chrysanthemums” is said to be based off of Steinbeck’s first wife Carol Hennings. Tragedies such as the attack

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