ipl-logo

The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck

204 Words1 Pages
“The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck is an example of feminist literature because it reinforces or undermines the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women. The overall theme of “The Chrysanthemums” is gender inequality. The main character is Elisa, who gardens and loves chrysanthemums, she is married to a farmer named Henry. She also meets a stranger who is a tinker. Both of the male characters in the story do not appreciate Elisa and do not utilize Elisa to her full potential. Her husband does not consult Elisa at all when it comes to business, he just uses her to make his farm and his life look pretty. The tinker also takes advantage of Elisa by distracting her with conversation about her chrysanthemums. Even though
Show More
Related
542 Words | 3 Pages

Like Elisa the chrysanthemums are confined to a restricted area where they are not for sale so others may enjoy its beauty. The chrysanthemums stay in the garden just for Elisa’s enjoyment. Elisa is seen the same way by being confined to her life on the farm and in her marriage, where she is

Read More
431 Words | 2 Pages

Although this book was intended to portray a feminist lens, there is still a lot of patriacary shown throughout the story. In the novel men have emotional control over the women, leaving them in a submissive trance towards men. Feminism is defined as ¨the advocacy of womenś rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.¨ This novel does not provide much equality between the sexes.

Read More
1053 Words | 5 Pages

She is almost the same way with the man who comes to ask for work. At first with the gentleman she is curt and she does not want him to work on any pots or sharpen any knives and scissors. But when he starts to take an interest in the flowers and saying that he knows a lady who wants some seeds to start growing some chrysanthemums, Elisa starts to open up a bit to the man.

Read More
728 Words | 3 Pages

- The goals of feminism is to show the importance of women and to bring gender equity. It also reveals that historical women have been subordinate to men, which is the reason why there are still some patriarchal societies in the modern setting.   - This literary piece is a great example of feminism. It shows how men and women are portrayed; how women have more in them than what meets the eye; and how genders treat and react to each other. BODY 1 (answer to question 1)

Read More
1267 Words | 6 Pages

In “The Chrysalids” by John Wyndam, religion plays an important role in the lives of people living in Waknuk, although it is abused and distorted for non-religious purposes. The township of Waknuk has its roots deeply buried in a strict religious system that affects a lot of those who live within it. Compassion and acceptance, which are claimed by some people in this society, do not stop discrimination against individuals because they fail to follow certain patterns as prescribed in religious teachings. This essay will discuss religious interpretation in Waknuk and how much damage it does to people and society. From the perspective of the harmful use of faith like this to undermine individuality, destroy families and communities, and breed

Read More
603 Words | 3 Pages

Considering these factors, he further discusses how the struggle to overcome these situations shaped the theme of feminism in the novel. Moreover, Tasharofi states "as Bressler states, one of the most significant developments in literary studies in the second half of the twentieth century, feminist criticism advocates equal rights for all

Read More
996 Words | 4 Pages

When analyzing the characters of the Handmaid's Tale and the Scarlet Letter through the feminist lense, sexism has become so internalized that women work to maintain the system through prejudice and belittling one another for not fulfilling orthodox gender roles.

Read More
460 Words | 2 Pages

Checklists are essential instruments while performing complex and critical tasks. Checklists are widely used across various industries and aviation, medical and pharmaceutical industries are some of the notable industries who practices checklist culture. The history of checklist traces to the aviation industry, which was formulated to ensure safety. The checklist is a type of formal document which is drafted to identify, plan, organize and prioritize a set of information or tasks which ensure the productivity and safety of a system (Federal Aviation Administration). Healthcare professionals are often challenged with various complex tasks in their field of everyday practice.

Read More
523 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
458 Words | 2 Pages

Are there feminists in literature? In The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne writes about a young woman who broke the morals of her culture, and is outcast from the town. She, however, continues on with her life and shatters the expectations of the people in town. The tale of Hester Prynne shows the struggle of a feminist trapped in a patriarchal society.

Read More
953 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout history, women have made a name for themselves. By rising up and fighting for something that they believed in, the Mirabal sisters made a name for themselves in the Dominican Republic and in Julia Alvarez’s novel In the Time of the Butterflies. By applying a theory to a novel, readers can relate the book to the world they are living in today (Davidson). Feminism can be defined as a dynamic philosophy and social movement that advocates for human rights and gender equality (“Feminism”). Feminist Theory involves looking at how women in novels are portrayed, how female characters are reinforcing stereotypes or undermining them, and the challenges that female characters face (Davidson).

Read More
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.

Read More
563 Words | 3 Pages

Not only does she take care of the chrysanthemums as if they were her own children, she nurtures and fosters them with her life. The chrysanthemums are acknowledged throughout the story as a symbol of Elisa’s life and happiness. In the story, the chrysanthemums functions as Elisa’s children. The author states, “She took off a glove and put her strong fingers down into the forest of new green chrysanthemums sprouts

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

Women's roles have changed throughout time. Both The Chrysanthemums, written by John Steinback, and The Story of an Hour, by Kate Choppin, are stories that use both direct and indirect characterization on women and their roles in their time. Throughout The Chrysanthemums, there are examples of our protagonist Elisa Allen struggling as a woman in the 1930s Great Depression society. In The Story of an Hour, it focuses on the fact that the protagonist, Mrs. Louise Mallard, feels oppressed and stripped of her freedom as a person. In addition, these two women grew from their pain, but were still seeking for more.

Read More
1141 Words | 5 Pages

From the outset, literature and all forms of art have been used to express their author’s feelings, opinions, ideas, and believes. Accordingly, many authors have resorted to their writing to express their feminist ideas, but first we must define what feminism is. According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, feminism is “the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state”. As early as the fifteenth century is possible to find feminist writings. Centuries later, and although she never referred to herself as one, the famous English writer Virginia Woolf became one of the greatest feminist writers of the twentieth

Read More

More about The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck

Related Topics

Open Document