While reading The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck I sympathize for Elisa because I know what it’s like to be deemed as inferior to people around you even when you know your real capability. The most significant conflict in the story is the restriction of Elisa's life as a woman secluded on a little farm in the Salinas Valley in the times after the Depression. Restricted by gender roles to labor inside the borders of the farm while the men relish more sovereignty and mobility, Elisa's yearnings are roused when the tinker comes by and expresses his journeyman lifestyle. She responds contemplatively, "That sounds like a nice way to live"(Steinbeck.1442). Another major conflict is Elisa's deep appealing attitude towards life which cannot be mutual. …show more content…
Her husband Henry, a decent man who loves his wife, sadly sees everything from a practical perspective.
Elisa's efforts to dress up and make herself attractive are misplaced on him, as are her determinations to get him to value the astonishing exquisiteness of her cherished chrysanthemums, the demonstration of her appealing sense. Elisa's passion to share this vital portion of her temperament is such that, when the tinker seems to recognize her enthusiasm for her flowers, she responds with an exhilaration that approaches the magnificent. Miserably, when she learns that he has tossed out the chrysanthemum she handed him casually on the road, she grasps that his concern was false, and is left more solitary and discouraged than before. The stranger gives Elisa a uplift of assurance that was not in her before. She took off the clothes that made her manly; she washes and wears “her newest underclothing and her nicest stockings and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness. She worked carefully on her hair, penciled her eyebrows and rouged her lips. (Steinbeck 1145). She obviously wishes to awaken the male scrutiny in her husband but he neglects to see her for her
beauty. He simply says: “You look so nice!” (Steinbeck 1445). She is visibly disappointed by his reaction as she sought Henry to admire her beauty and he simply says she looks nice and strong. He offends her but she does not antagonize him. Elisa is clearly melancholic with her life but will not oppose this melancholy. She suppresses her feelings from her husband., Elisa will not ever be capable to revolutionize her rank in life; she will continuously succumb to her husband and be captive in a marriage with a man who displays very little concern in her as a woman. Their marriage will never grow and both characters will stay miserable. Masculine philosophy is secure and Elisa will never partake the life she desires.
In this short the Chrysanthemums, written by John stein beck. The author tells a character who is in need of love. Stein back reflects the charazteratiom of Elisa in the story because he shows us how Elisa character changes threw out the story. The traits of Elisa’s show us that Elisa is strong and want affection and resorts to the chrysanthemums as a way to show herself.
Within Steinbeck's story, "Chrysanthemums," the main character, Elisa Allen, is confronted with many instances of conflict. Steinbeck uses chrysanthemums to symbolize this conflict and Elisa's self-worth. By examining these points of conflict and the symbolism presented by the chrysanthemums, the meaning of the story can be better determined.
Elisa's unhappiness in her role as the wife of a cattle farmer is clear in her gardening. Through the authors detailed diction it is clear that gardening is her way of freeing herself from her suffocating environment. “The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy” which is “over-eager” and “over-powerful” (Steinbeck 460). The intensity with which she gardens, “terrier fingers destroy[ing] such pests before they could get started” suggests more than simply a deep interest, but a form of escape completely submerging her self into the task (Steinbeck 460). It is possible that some...
Elisa Allen is a thirty-five-year-old woman who lives on a ranch in the Salinas Valley with her husband Henry. She is "lean and strong," and wears shapeless, functional clothes (Steinbeck 203). The couple has no children, no pets, no near neighbors, and Henry is busy doing chores on the ranch throughout the day. Elisa fills her hours by vigorously cleaning the ''hard-swept looking little house, with hard-polished windows,'' and by tending her flower garden (204). She has ''a gift'' for growing things, especially her chrysanthemums, and she is proud of it (204).
Elisa was impressed of the tinker's freedom and his way of life. The tinker offers his service, repairing pots and pans, to Elisa, but she refuses at first. However, the tinker does not give up and tells Elisa about a customer that would be interested in her chrysanthemums. Elisa's attitude instantly changed and after her discussion with tinker she finds some work for the tinker to work on. Elisa's husband, Henry, takes her out later to the city for dinner.
"The Chrysanthemums" is a good depiction of most marriages in the early 1900's, the husband is the chief breadwinner and the wife is considered nothing more than a housewife. "The simple story outlines are enriched by irony and imagery which contrast the rich land and the sterile marriage, the fertile plants and Elisa's inner emptiness" (McCarthy 26). The story begins by introducing the setting: "The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and the rest of the world" (Steinbeck 115). This vivid illustration unconsciously gives the reader a look into the dominating theme. However, it is not until the climax of the story that the reader begins to notice Elisa's true pain and need for her own self-identity. The main protagonist i...
In the short story “The Chrysanthemums” John Steinbeck uses symbolism to reflect the characteristics of his main character Elisa Allen. Elisa, a married woman uncovers her deeply smothered femininity in an inconspicuous sense. Her life in the valley had become limited to housewife duties and the only sustenance that seemed to exist could merely be found in her chrysanthemum garden. Not until she becomes encountered with a remote tinker-man out and about seeking for work, does she begin to reach many of the internal emotions that had long inhibited her femininity. The tinker subtlety engages an interest in Elisa’s chrysanthemum garden that encourages Elisa to react radically. When Elisa realizes that there are other ways to live she attempts to lift the lid off of the Salinas Valley, but unfortunately the tinker’s insincere actions resort Elisa back to her old self and leaves Elisa without any optimism for her hollow breakthrough. Steinbeck’s somber details of the setting, strong description of the chrysanthemums and meaningful illustration of the red flower-pot reveal the distant, natural, ambitions Elisa Allen desired to attain.
Elisa Allen embodies the image of a simple woman eager to escape the confines of a gender defined role in society. Readers are introduced to Elisa as a 35 year old, strong woman living with her husband, Henry, on a ranch in Salinas Valley (Steinbeck 460). Elisa’s masculinity is highlighted from the attire she is wearing to the strength in her hands. Henry affirms that Elisa is capable in her endeavors when he states, “you’ve got a gift with things,” in regards to her garden (Steinbeck 460). Even though Elisa is delighted at Henry’s suggestion that she work in the orchard, the idea does not seem to get a second thought (Steinbeck 460). The idea of a woman working in the orchard is dismissed on the premise that the orchard is not a woman’s place. In Elisa’s account with the man in the wagon, her sexuality exudes in her graphic explanation of picking off the flower buds and being under the stars, to the point that she almost physically touches the man (Steinbeck 463). Her desire would go unsatisfied, as it would not be appropriate for her to act on her impulse. Elisa is searching for fulfillment in life but finds her role to be trivial. Intrigued by the idea of traveling, as the gentleman in the wagon does, she states, “It must be very nice. I wish women could do such things.” She is shot down as the man replies, “It ain’t the right kind of a life for a woman” (Steinbeck 464). This conversation clearly depicts the prevalent inequality of the sexes. Furthermore, once the man leaves in the caravan Elisa cements her urge for something more, looking out at the horizon whispering, “That’s a bright direction. There’s a glowing there” (Steinbeck 464-465).
The man says “ Kind of a long-stemmed flower? Looks like a quick puff of colored smoke?” and she responds “That’s it. What a nice way to describe them.”(443). This metaphorical compliment now attracts Elisa because she is feeling appreciated. Elisa is happy that someone actually finds interest in her chrysanthemums since she finds so much joy in her gardening. The moral of the story is that woman have very little existence and are not as appreciated as the male figures. When Elisa feels appreciated she feels an attraction towards this mysterious man. This attraction is acknowledged when “She crouches low like a fawning dog” (444). She displays her affection towards him and her sexual feelings. Elisa looks to the tinker for stimulating conversation and sex because those are two elements that seem to be lacking in her life. Her flirtatiousness and conversation with the tinker shows how much she is thinking and feeling and how rarely she gets to express
In the opening of the story Elisa is emasculated by the description of her clothing. She wears "a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron…" (paragraph 5). When Elisa’s husband Henry comes over and compliments her garden and ability to grow things Elisa is smug with him and very proud of her skill with the flowers. Her "green thumb" makes her an equal in her own eyes. When Elisa’s husband asks her if she would like to go to dinner her feminine side comes out. She is excited to go eat at a restaurant and states that she would much rather go to the movies than go see the fights, she "wouldn’t like the fight’s" at all (paragraph 21). Elisa is taken aback with her own submissiveness and quickly becomes preoccupied with her flowers as soon as her husband leaves. When the drifter comes and asks Elisa for work to do she is stern with him and refuses him a job. She acts as a man would to another strange man and becomes irritated. When he persists in asking her she reply’s "I tell you I have nothing like that for you to do" (paragraph 46). The drifter mentions Elisa’s chrysanthemums and she immediately loosens up as "the irritation and resistance melt(ed) from her face" (paragraph 51). The drifter feigns great interest in Elisa’s chrysanthemums and asks her many questions about them. He tells her he knows a lady who said to him "if you ever come across some nice chrysanthemums I wish you’d try to get me a few seeds" (paragraph 56). Elisa is overjoyed by any interest in her flowers and gives the man chrysanthemum sprouts to take to his friend.
It is this understanding that shatters Elisa’s belief that she is in complete control of her own life. In the beginning of the story Elisa considers herself free and independent based on her attire, and this is reinforced by comments made by her husband. Yet, Steinbeck’s intentions were not to depict Elisa as the leading character, but rather as a realistic portrayal of the “man vs. society” struggle that women in 1930s were faced with. As such, Elisa Allen serves as a historical monument acknowledging the great strides that women have taken since then in order to create a truly equal and free American
The chrysanthemums themselves and her clothes illustrate a great deal about Elisa's struggle to find her own identity. The chrysanthemums meant a great deal to her. She grew them with the work of her hands and the care of her heart. We observe this when she talks about them so passionately with the peddler. The author portrays that "the stems seemed too small and easy for her energy" (260). This symbol makes it clear to the reader that she wants more from life than just being a gardener. Her initial appearance in the story is incredibly conservative and manly; "Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's black hat pulled down over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes and heavy leather gloves…" yet still allows a feminine side to be noticed, "She wore a figured print dress a...
She suppresses all of her emotions and puts all of it into the care of her ‘children’, the beloved Chrysanthemums. Elisa feels oppressed by her husband Henry and isn’t getting what she wants out of the relationship. Elisa's attempts to make an effort towards looking nice are blind to her husband, he doesn’t realize what she does for him. Elisa even tries to get him to appreciate the beauty of her chrysanthemums, but instead he comments on how she should be doing something useful with her time instead of planting flowers in winter. Henry is a concrete wall that blocks Elisa from expressing all the feelings she wants to, whether sexually or mentally. He isn’t a bad husband but the effort that he outs into their relationship is not enough. He doesn’t see that he needs to take care of her emotional needs too. “Why—why, Elisa. You look so nice!- Nice? You think I look nice? What do you mean by 'nice'?" (Steinbeck). Their marriage is an uncomfortable fit and Elisa can feel it. She will never be satisfied with her way of life. By the end of the story, Elisa’s conflict causes her to change her view on her marriage. This is because she opened herself up to a person for the first time in what it seems is forever, and he tore her down. Elisa realizes that her marriage, although unsatisfying is stable. And that is the best she can get out of an oppressive
...hich was the symbol of her prettiness” (Steinbeck 94). Although when Elisa and Henry are on their way to go to the town, Elisa sees the chrysanthemums that the tinkerer had thrown out. At this moment, Elisa suddenly realizes that she will never be anything more than what she was before, a woman that is worthless to society.
By admiring the chrysanthemums, she perceives that in a way he admires her. She "tears off the battered hat and shakes out her dark pretty hair"(379). With a couple of well said words from the old man, her masculine image has been transformed into a feminine one. The old man serves as a sort of spark in Elisa's life. When she gave the old man the flower pot with the chrysanthemums in them, in a way she was giving him a symbol of her inner-self. She begins to feel hope for herself and her marriage once the old man loads up his wagon and leaves. She sees a "bright direction" in her marriage, as if it’s new start. The encounter with the tinker gives Elisa hope for her to prepare for a more fulfilling life.