The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck Analysis - 949 Words

Biography John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, which is where the short story, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† is set in 1902. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature and his held in high regard, but not quite as high as Faulkner and Hemingway. Steinbeck died of a heart attack in Salinas, California in 1963 (Levant). Overview Steinbeck published the short story The Chrysanthemums in 1937 and included as part of his collection The Long Valley the following year. In the story, Henry Allen and his wife own a ranch. Elisa, Henry’s wife, is working with her chrysanthemums. He suggests they go to the town, Salinas, to celebrate their new business. A tinker in a wagon turns into their yard. He asks whether she has any work for him,†¦show more content†¦She reveals her hair for the first time in the story. When the tinker leaves, she goes through an entire transformation. She takes her clothes off, takes a bath, examines her nude skin, and then redresses herself. Elisa puts on beautifully feminine underwear, clothes, and makeup. This look draws a stark contrast with her bulky gardening clothes. She is now revealed as a sexualized woman instead of a simple tomboy. At the end of the story, she pulls up her coat collar to cover her tears, implying a return to her repressed state in which she has lived most of her life. The chrysanthemums symbolize both Elisa and the limited scope of her life. Like Elisa, the chrysanthemums are lovely, strong, and thriving. Their flowerbed, like Elisa’s house, is tidy and scrupulously ordered. Elisa explicitly identifies herself with the flowers, even saying that she becomes one with the plants when she tends to them. When the tinker notices the chrysanthemums, Elisa visibly brightens, just as if he had noticed her instead. She offers the chrysanthemums to him at the same time she offers herself, both of which he ignores and tosses aside. His rejection of the flowers also mimics the way society has rejected women as nothing more than mothers and housekeepers. Just like her, the flowers are unobjectionable and also unimportant: both are merely decorative and add little value to the world.Show MoreRelatedThe Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck Analysis935 Words   |  4 PagesIn John Steinbeck‘s short story â€Å"The Chrysanthemums † Elisa Giv es off the impression that she is not satisfied with her life. She can’t put a finger on her source of discomfort, but knows that she is not quite satisfied with how her life is continuing. Elisa’s husband doesn’t give her the proper attention she is craving, so elisa turns to her only sense of compassion; her garden. Elisa uses her beloved chrysanthemums to express her inner feelings about what it’s like to truly care for something.Read MoreAnalysis Of Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck971 Words   |  4 PagesChrysanthemums† has many different ideas of what women’s roles are in today’s society. I think one of the key themes is gender inequality. Elisa is a passionate, independent, and a beautiful person inside and out. And no matter what she does or says, her husband will never see her for more than an object. Because the story is written through Elisa’s point of view and is set in 1938. Because of this, it really portrays where women stood at that time. Taking place during winter in Salinas Valley,Read MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s The Chrysanthemums 1256 Words   |  6 PagesComparative Essay In â€Å"Chrysanthemums† john Steinbeck, the author, focuses on Elisa Allen, one of the main characters. 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Kenneth Pellow interprets it as â€Å"radically feministic.† The Great Depression was fi nally ending and women’s rights were risingRead MoreEssay on Analysis of The Chrysanthemums1139 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of The Chrysanthemums The short story The Chrysanthemums gives insight into the life of its author. John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. The locale of the story is of key resemblance to the Salinas in which Steinbeck was born and bread. Salinas was a typical American small town, [differing] only in location and a few distinctive features (McCarthy 3). The protagonist of this story, Elisa Allen, also resembles Steinbecks first wife. SteinbeckRead MoreCharacter Analysis the Chrysanthemums1220 Words   |  5 PagesEngl. 1302 April 15, 2013 Paper 1 Character Analysis â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† by John Steinbeck John Steinbeck was born in 1902 and lived during what is said to be the most troubled time in American history. Steinbeck was alive during the Dust Bowl paired with the Great Depression, which is believed to be the reason for his almost melancholiac tone in some of his works but he seemed a very diverse writer. Along with â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†, Steinbeck is the author of the well-known and famous novelRead More The Chrysanthemums Essay1649 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s, The Chrysanthemums, was published in 1938 in a book of short stories, entitled The Long Valley. The Chrysanthemums has been a rather powerful draw for scholars because of its wide gap for interpretations and analysis of its main protagonist character, Elisa Allen and also the unique descriptions used to portray the deeper meaning behind the setting of the story. Themes of sexuality, oppression of women, as well as other numerous types of conflict portrayed in this rather somber