Steinbeck’s book represents what women often represent in literature; the weak object of desire. However, women
The Chrysanthemums Literary Analysis One of the themes of “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck is gender inequality. In this short story, the main character Elisa Allen was a strong, smart woman who was stuck being a common housewife. Elisa wishes she could go out and be like the tinker, sleeping under the stars and adventuring every day of her life. Elisa’s husband owns a ranch of some sorts, and when he tells Elisa of the business deal he’d just made he gave her an unspecific explanation, or a dumbed down one so he doesn’t “confuse her”.
In “The Chrysanthemums” By John Steinbeck the main character is Elisa Allen, she is a strong woman who has planting hands. Her planting hands have a mind of their own and destroy pests before they can destroy her plants. She is so good at planting her flowers that she is smug and confident about her plants and loves to talk about them, whether it is to her husband or to a complete stranger. She is resistant with the man who comes to ask for work mending pots and sharpening knives and scissors that is until he mentions her flowers. She feels that she could make it out in the world just like the man does even though it is no place for a woman.
Steinbeck illustrates the hopefulness found in a harsh reality and
At the beginning of the story, Elisa Allen was progressively working in the garden with her flowers. Steinbeck described her by stating that “Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured printed dress almost completely covered by a big
I wonder if John Steinbeck
It surmises that women have much more control of their dreams and hopes than men do. Because the author began this novel with this gender difference the audience can assume that this will later become an important theme, especially with the main character Janie. The protagonist, Janie is characterized as looking very youthful effectively stating that the only way Janie was to be with a younger man was either for her money or looks. Yet, in reality this is not the case but it showcases the archaic mentality of the superiority of men especially in this society. Pearl states that “[her] husband ain’t fussy” but in reality women were considered property in this time period.
In the story chrysanthemums John Steinbeck shows how men perceived women in the 1930s. Henry adores his wife but treats her as infant in some
As they drive along, Elisa recognizes the blooms she had given the tinker adjacent to the street. The blossoms next to the street flag Elisa 's last withdraw to womanliness. Her fantasies of female correspondence are broken to the point that she can never backpedal to being what she used to be; therefore "she should persevere through her normal social part" (Sweet 213). Her exclusive objective is to wind up "an old lady" (Steinbeck 336). Since she has backpedaled to her ladylike part, as indicated by Renner, "she remains a pitiable casualty of male control and female hindrance"
Masculine and Feminine Roles in Steinbeck’s “Chrysanthemums” In the story “The Chrysanthemums”, by John Steinbeck, Elisa Allen lives an unsatisfactory life as she desires more than what is bestowed upon her. The reader learns Elisa’s husband is culpable for not seeing the beauty of his wife, leaving an open door for the antagonist, a traveler, to prey upon Elisa’s. Steinbeck uses Masculine and Feminine roles of the early 20th century, Internal Conflict, and an antagonist, to show Elisa’s struggle for Identity. Steinbeck illustrates Masculine and feminine roles of the 20th century in the “Chrysanthemums” to show Elisa’s struggle with identity.
John Steinbeck’s short story, “The Chrysanthemums” is a popular story that takes place in 1930’s America, during the early years of the Great Depression. Although the story takes place during this difficult time in American history it is not important to the story, instead it’s the time period. Steinbeck’s story is about Elisa Allen, a middle aged women who lives on a farm with her husband. Elisa lives in a time period were women are not respected or taken seriously like today’s women, and it is shown many times in the story.
The Chrysanthemums by John Steinback is a short story about the demanding and hurtful culture about being yourself. Throughout the story, we see Elisa try to represent herself through the pots of flowers and the garden she grows, While people try to show her what she needs to like and act like to succeed in the culture that they live in. This short story shows that when people are ridiculed for not liking things that they should stereotypically enjoy in one's culture, they become disheartened with themselves. One instance of this is the conversation between the wagon driver and Elise. The conversation between the wagon driver and Elise shows that people believe women and other groups of people should not live the ‘’non-household’’ life.
In the story “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck, takes place in a time when women were living in a male dominated society. The female protagonist Elisa, is an intellectual and passionate woman who struggles with feeling trapped in her unfulfilling life as a typical housewife and gardener. She longs for purpose in her lonely life and in her relationship with her husband. She has an unexpected encounter with a tinker, who arouses her femininity. From this encounter her hope in life and marriage have been renewed but is quickly dismissed due to her less than romantic husband.
Elisa Allen, the protagonist of The Chrysanthemums was miserable, a 35 year old women, and dressed manly when tending to her flowers. ‘Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clod- hopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big
