Similarities Between The Secret Lion And The Chrysanthemums

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

more with the theme of misogyny while in “The Secret Lion” the term takes a more literal meaning. Furthermore, symbolism of elevation is another common theme between the two stories.

“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

garden. The only outlet to showcase her talent Elisa has are her chrysanthemums, which explains her devotion to them. Although some such as Bily in her article “The Chrysanthemums” would argue that her devotion to the flowers is due to her maternal instinct, and need to nurture something due to being childless. Bily also argues that “The Chrysanthemums” has an ecofeminist theme, which is the idea that both nature and women are oppressed by men, which I disagree with because by definition, feminism is gender equality, and saying that women somehow have a better relationship with nature because of their nurturing, gentle approach is not only stereotypical, but also it defeats the purpose of feminism. Even though Bily is right about nature playing a major part in the story, and Elisa having a “gift,” assuming all women are good with nature, and are nurturing is stereotypical, and sexist.
“The Secret Lion” by Ríos on the other hand, is a bildungsroman.

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

on Pearl Harbor and his divorces, influenced Steinbeck’s writings. More specifically, Millichap argues in his article “Biography of John Steinbeck” that “(Steinbeck) grew up with a frustrated modern America and witnessed the most notable failure of the American Dream with the Great Depression….” Millichap continues by stating that the geographical settings Steinbeck grew up in, also became common in his writings such as the western frontier and of course the ever popular Salinas Valley. That “the time and place of his birth are important.” Busch claims in his article “Longing for the Lost Frontier: Steinbeck’s Vision of Cultural Decline in ‘The White Quail’ and ‘The Chrysanthemums’ that Steinbeck’s work was influenced by the western frontier, or more specifically, the downfall of the western frontier. Busch argues that “in the course of his forty year career, John Steinbeck consistently integrated elements of American frontier history, mythology, and symbolism into his fiction and nonfiction.” (1). Busch continues by stating that the tinker and Elisa’s husband are both symbols of the western frontier in Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums,” which considering her husband is a cattle rancher, and the tinker roams the west in a wagon makes sense. The fact that his wagon is breaking down comes to represent the downfall of western culture. Ultimately, I agree with Busch because gender roles were often quite stereotypical in the west, Elisa only being allowed to do housework and grow flowers supports that claim, and that Steinbeck was influenced by the western frontier. Also the feminine stereotype of women that also went along with that time period is represented by how the tinker claims, that even though Elisa can fix pots just as well, if not better than he can, “it is no life for a lady.” I believe both stories are bildungsroman in one sense of the word or other. Elisa is going through puberty in the sense that she is confused about her life, and frustrated. She is stuck between being feminine and living up to her potential in the way people going through puberty are stuck between adolescence and maturity. The narrator from “The Secret Lion” on the other hand is going through puberty in a more literal sense of the term. In conclusion, I encourage readers to find the common themes of nature, persistence, and inspiration drawn from personal experiences in both stories, to see what I was talking about.

Works Cited
Bily, Cynthia. "The Chrysanthemums." Short Stories for Students. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. Busch, Christopher S. "Longing for the Lost Frontier: Steinbeck's Vision of Cultural Decline in 'The White Quail' and 'The Chrysanthemums'." Steinbeck Quarterly 26, nos. 3 and 4 (Summer–Fall 1993): 81–90. Quoted as "Longing for the Lost Frontier: Steinbeck's Vision of Cultural Decline in 'The White Quail' and 'The Chrysanthemums'" in Bloom, Harold, ed. John Steinbeck's Short Stories, Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 16 Feb. 2016. Melgosa, Adrián Pérez. "Ríos, Alberto Álvaro 1952—." American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies, Supplement 4. Ed. A Walton Litz and Molly Weigh. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1996. 537-556. Scribner Writers on GVRL. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. Millichap, Joseph R. "Biography of John Steinbeck." Critical Insights: The Grapes of Wrath. Ed. Keith Newline. Hackensack: Salem, 2010. n. pag. Salem Online. Web. 16 Feb. 2016. Skredsvig, Kari Meyers. "Women's Space, Women's Place: Topoanalysis in Steinbeck's 'The Chrysanthemums.'." Revisit de Philologer y Linguistic de la Universidad de Costa Rica 26.1 (Jan.-June 2000): 59-67. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 135. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.