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John Steinbeck's Use Of Nature In The Chrysanthemums

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Hans Christian Andersen a well-known Danish author once said, “Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower”. This quote by Andersen exhibits that in order to live an individual must have the necessities of life that makes life more interesting which can be nature. By incorporating sunshine and flower he explains examples of nature and how nature can affect an individual’s ability to live whether it is physically or mentally. In other words, anyone can be considered living as long as they are breathing, but really living the world includes connecting yourself to things that bring happiness such as nature, and freedom. Similarly, in “The Chrysanthemums,” John Steinbeck’s use of nature affects the actions and …show more content…

The story confirms this suggested confinement as it narrows its focus onto Elisa and the work she is doing “in her flower garden” inside a “wire fence”…” (Tebbetts, 56). This line by Tebbett reveals that the setting that Steinbeck chose to place Elisa in reveals that like the Salinas valley is closed off so is Elisa. Therefore, Elisa’s interaction is seen limited to only her husband Henry and the Tinker an unknown man. Behind that valley we as readers see how for Elisa the garden and fence that she places herself is her strength and is like the bigger world that she was restricted from due to the valley. Elisa is seen communicating with nature in her own garden and is seen as strong as she reveals the traits of masculinity with her dressing style and actions. For example, as Steinbeck writes, “Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water. Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man’s black hat….heavy leather gloves” (Steinbeck, 801). The description of Elisa seems to be misleading as after reading this we as readers would assume that Elisa is a powerful woman who lacks the qualities of women with masculine qualities. The eyes being described as

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John Steinbeck’s short story, “Chrysanthemums”, was written in 1938. The story tells of a woman’s struggle to find self respect and worth from her male counterpart within a very patriarchal society. Throughout the story symbols are constantly used and Steinbeck specifically chooses symbolism in order to express the inequality of women during that time. The use of chrysanthemums in Steinbeck’s story is to symbolize Elisa and her self worth.

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Red, gray, green, brown, pink, and white all varying from pale to a deep dark shaded color, invoking a whirlwind of colors, conjuring the image of a raging dust storm. In nature, people don’t always notice the small details such as individual colors. Authors have the favored talent of making these small details brighten in the eyes of their readers. Steinbeck, in particular, brings a reader to realize the specifics of the surrounding world. He shows how nature is a reflection of humans and how humans are a reflection of nature.

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374 Words | 2 Pages

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”.

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181 Words | 1 Pages

The author gives an example of Elisa changing when the tinker says to her, “‘It ain’t the right kind of life for a woman.’” Her response was, “‘How can you know? How can you tell?’”  Elisa thinks that he is wrong and trys to prove herself as equal. This means that Elisa realizes the inequality between men and women.

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1229 Words | 5 Pages

While Elisa takes a bath by scrubbing herself “ with a little block of pumice, legs and thighs, loins and chest and arms, until her skin was scratched and red ” (Steinbeck 232 ). Steinbeck is showing how Elisa transforming into a new woman by washing out of her old self and bringing a new change into her life. Elisa starts to get ready for her night out with Henry, while she is getting dress she looks at herself in the mirror, and lauds her femininity with her body. Feeling confident with her womanly qualities, Elisa puts on a gorgeous dress and makeup, hoping her husband will notice her femininity needs as a woman and will be romantic towards her. However, Henry crushes her hope by saying “You look strong enough to break a calf over your knee, happy enough to eat it like a watermelon” (Steinbeck 233).

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688 Words | 3 Pages

By portraying Elisa as a gardener and Henry as the businessman, Steinbeck shows that the male often had the role of the “breadwinner” in his time, even though Elisa is depicted as far more capable in the story, written as being able to plant and grow anything (2). Steinbeck included these seemingly minor details to outline the injustice that strained the relationship between men and women. Lastly, in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman writes the Narrator as saying, “Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do?” (1).

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563 Words | 3 Pages

John Steinbeck uses characterization to show that Elisa Allen is in a lonely marriage. Steinbeck description of the Allen’s marriage, “combined with their clumsy and reticent ways of speaking to one another, has led many critics to assume that their marriage is a source of sexual and psychological frustration, at least for Elisa” (Evans). The author writes as if suggesting Elisa Allen is unhappy and the only one who feels this way about their marriage. The phrase “their clumsy and reticent ways of speaking to one another” (Evans) concludes that Henry and Elisa Allen do not have a good enough relationship to tell each other how they feel. This also concludes that even in a secure place Elisa Allen is feeling pain.

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In other words, the Tinker equals freedom for Elisa which she desired to travel like every man does and enjoying being with males. Instead, as the Tinker leaves her hopes, and desires depart as well, until on her travel with Henry on the road and the image of light repeats with the path that the Tinker might have

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1209 Words | 5 Pages

“The Chrysanthemums,” by John Steinbeck, is a narrative that examines the effects of gender roles. Elisa Allen is a middle aged, married woman who lives on a ranch with her husband Henry. When Henry makes a big sale of his cattle to a meat company, he and Elisa agree to celebrate by traveling into the city to eat dinner together. Elisa encounters a traveling salesman when Henry and his helper leave to gather up the steers. After the encounter with the tinker, Elisa experiences an awakening of her femininity and sexuality.

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1217 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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706 Words | 3 Pages

To start things off, The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck has quite a bit of imagery to reinforce his theme of confinement and isolation. In the very beginning of the story he is already using imagery to let the readers get an image of what the valley looks like and the area around it. Steinbeck says “The high-gray flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world. On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot. On the broad, level land floor the gang plows bit deep and left the black earth shining like metal where the shares had cut”.

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735 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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823 Words | 4 Pages

The world has yet to know “its” true secrets and dive deeper under the mask of perception. Though we may feel like nature is throwing karma at us at times, we continue to honor nature for its patience. In the poems, “Ode to Enchanted Light” by Pablo Neruda and “Sleeping in the Forest” by Mary Oliver, both of the literary works share an appreciation for nature. Though this is true for both, they express their love and feelings differently. Pablo Neruda’s poem praises light as enchanting, whereas Mary Oliver’s poem personifies Earth as a motherly figure and gives off mother nature vibes.

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1469 Words | 6 Pages

Lennie cannot change his mental disability nor can Crooks change his race, but due to these inalterable characteristics, Lennie hurts others unintentionally, and Crooks is hurt by others. “Naturalism does not deal primarily with individuals in themselves, but rather with social groups, settings, or movements…”( ), which relates to the story, because Lennie’s actions not only affect him and his future, but the other characters in the book. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the concept of naturalism is portrayed through the experiences of Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. Lennie’s mental disability and physical strength often lead to trouble, because he can never fully comprehend his actions. When Lennie is the barn, he ends up

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959 Words | 4 Pages

At the same time, nature as a teacher teaches man to accept all the changes in life. It also motivates man. In the world of literature nature plays a very role to set the mood of the text. The creative artist uses nature to reveal both comic and tragic aspects of human life. Nature itself acts as one the most dominating characters in text which exercises its powerful impression upon the character.

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