Preview

Boundaries of Life: John Steinbeck's Story The Chrysanthemums

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1043 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Boundaries of Life: John Steinbeck's Story The Chrysanthemums
Boundaries of Life Elisa Allen, the main character in John Steinbeck's story The Chrysanthemums, is a lonely farmers wife who is stuck in her roll due to the views society has on women. She is an eager person who fiends for excitement and passion in her life. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond her control, she is virtually isolated from society trapped in the fenced of the country farm. Despite Elisa Allen’s physical appearance that is more masculine that feminine, she tries to have her womanly side shine through. John Steinbeck uses the symbolic representation of Elisa’s dress to show that Elisa wants to display her feminine side, but the fence surrounding the garden to represent the boundaries and blockades Elisa has experienced and is currently experiencing in her life. Elisa Allen’s physical appearance is introduced in a manly way. Steinbeck introduces her to the reader as more of a man, instead of a woman. “Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume” (Steinbeck 243). Elisa tries to control her sexuality of being a woman by hiding beneath manly apparel such as clothing, tools, and even her home. “She wore a man’s black hat, clod-hopper shoes…and heavy leather gloves” (Steinbeck 243). Despite the shameful manly appearance, Elisa still obtained to her garden on a regular basis. Elisa lived a very confined life away from a large sum of society. Steinbeck uses imagery to formulate a picture for the reader as to how isolated Elisa was from the rest of the world. “The high gray-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas valley” (Steinbeck 242). The fog surrounding the Salinas valley is a representation of the barrier of the detachment between Elisa and the rest of the world. The house is described as being across from the river, which adds to the seclusion she feels. Steinbeck placed Elisa’s house away from the town and all types of civilization to not only symbolize, but highlight exactly how lonely she is, despite her having a
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    A Pair Of Silk Stockings And The Chrysanthemums Analysis
    • 1602 Words
    • 7 Pages

    A Pair Of Silk Stockings And The Chrysanthemums Analysis

    In both texts Mrs. Sommers and Elisa realize the establishment of limitations that society puts on them. Mrs. Sommers is a house wife and a mother, she tends to put her husband’s and children’s needs before her own. Similarly, Elisa is married and experiences her abilities being limited because her husband takes over everything except for the Chrysanthemums on the farm. I feel in both stories the women in a way envy the men and their ability to do almost everything because of their status in society. However, Mrs. Sommers recollects memories from her past to the times from which she was single and could indulge more in life when she didn’t have children to care for. I noticed this very clearly when Kate Chopin wrote, “In truth, he saw nothing-unless he were wizard enough to detect a poignant wish, a powerful longing that the cable car would never stop anywhere but go on and on with her forever” (Chopin 5). I feel Mrs. Sommers doesn’t regret anything but she realizes the difference between the two ways of life and at the same time she misses that luxury. On the other hand, Elisa is influenced by outside occurrences such as the tinker who was too quick to judge her because of her gender. When I read, “She was cutting down the old year’s chrysanthemum stalks with a pair of short and powerful scissors.…

    • 1602 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Elisa's Power In The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck
    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Elisa's Power In The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck

    In John Steinbeck’s story “The Chrysanthemums” the main character Elisa is in the garden wearing men’s clothing; her appearance made her seem strong. "Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water"(Steinbeck 226). Elisa has a strong self-confident attitude in the beginning of the story before meeting the pot fixer, and by the end of the story she lacks confidence and feels like she is losing control.…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Elisa's Point Of View In The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck
    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Elisa's Point Of View In The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck

    In the short story, “The Chrysanthemums” John Steinbeck tells the story of Elisa Allen living on a ranch in the Salinas Valley with her husband Henry. Elisa is a thirty-five year-old house wife that takes pride in growing chrysanthemums. One day while cutting down last year’s chrysanthemums her husband tells her that he has just sold thirty cattle and is going to take her out to dinner and a movie. After that, a traveling tinker stops by her house and offers to fix any pots or sharpen any knives. After a conversation with the tinker, Elisa figures out for herself that she doesn’t get to express herself very much. Elisa eventually finds something for the tinker to fix and even gives him a chrysanthemum plant for one of his other customers. She later sees that the tinker threw the plant out and that she is unsatisfied with her marriage. “The Chrysanthemums” is told in the third person point of view, but the narration is presented almost entirely from Elisa’s point of view forcing us to try and understand Elisa just as the other characters in the story do.…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Comparing The Vigilante And The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck
    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Comparing The Vigilante And The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck

    Elisa Allen, of “The Chrysanthemums,” had an emptiness within herself that could never expose to the world; instead she kept it in until she no longer can. She ends up revealing her shadow to a stranger who gave her the desire she wanted. Elisa had a dream that she does not realize at first, but begins to realize it when the opportunity was in front of her. Her husband who does not share the same interest as her with her garden would only verbally supports her interest when it came that he can see and receive profit from it. Her dream is to have a husband that shows interests in her biggest hobby that is gardening.…

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Elisa Allen: a Mystified Identity
    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Elisa Allen: a Mystified Identity

    Firstly, Elisa Allen is described and presented in a very masculine manner. The words “strong”, “a man’s black hat” and “heavy leather gloves” showcase the masculinity. Additionally, her features described as, “her face was eager and mature and handsome……over-powerful.” lend substance to her masculinity. Interestingly, this description of Elisa is in stark contrast to the societal perception of females in that era who are meant to be more feminine. The fact that she is she is thirty five years old and has no children also de-emphasizes her femininity. However, this presentation of masculinity augurs well with her acuity for business which is demonstrated in her interest in knowing more about the conversation of her husband, Henry Allen with the men in business suits. Also, her negotiation skills with the tinker showcase the business acuity of Elisa that has gone unnoticed by Henry. The societal norms have dictated that she carry out her role as a gardener with penchant. As a result, Elisa devotes all of her energy to maintaining her house and garden. Although she rightly brags about her green thumb, Elisa’s connection to nature seems rather coerced and not something that comes as naturally as she claims. She knows a great deal…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Women In The Chrysanthemums
    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Women In The Chrysanthemums

    In many ways the roles of woman were just kept as being housewives or mothers in charge of managing the children while the men tended to the fields or to the factories to provide for their families. And both Hemingway and Steinbeck tend to portray woman similarly, for example it can be seen in “The Chrysanthemums” and “Hills like white Elephant”. In the short story “The Chrysanthemums” the main protagonist Elisa was shown at the beginning of the story tending to her garden as a man in a wagon came upon her farm. At first she was irritated by the man but when he asked about the Chrysanthemums she was…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Literary Criticism of John Steinbeck's the Chysanthemums
    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Literary Criticism of John Steinbeck's the Chysanthemums

    To fully appreciate literature, we must look at it from every angle possible. There are many ways to criticize a piece of literature. Each way helps a reader to better understand the work in its own different way. I hope to outline and give examples of the many different ways that the short story The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck can be interpreted.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    How Does John Steinbeck Create Tension In The Chrysanthemums
    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages

    How Does John Steinbeck Create Tension In The Chrysanthemums

    She enters the house to freshen up before going out to dinner with Henry. She puts on her finest outfit, "which was the symbol of her prettiness". This also, is a symbol of her femininity. Henry sees her and is stunned by her beauty and femininity. He says, "You look so nice!" She tenses up and asks for what he means by it, his definition of nice. He goes on to say, "I don't know. I mean you look different, strong and happy." She is eyes widely interested in this and asks "What do you mean 'strong'?". He is taken aback by her response. Henry was just trying to compliment her and she still would not allow him to enter her heart, almost as if he has offended her with his praise. As they continue their way to dinner, Elisa discovers something quite tragic to her. She sees her treasured chrysanthemums discarded on the side of the road as if a pile of unimportant garbage. She is distraught at the sight of them lying there mercilessly. She is brought to tears as she realizes that they surely mean nothing- symbolic to her self-worth. The repairman had only saved the pot, which was of far more value to him. The poor flowers are left to wilt and die, unable to survive on the side of the road. Sadly, that is such the case of her identity. She pulls up her coat collar to hide her tears, in which she cries; handling the situation with the weakness of a woman, rather than the strength of a male. Her strength has no match now. She will always be a female at the root no matter how strong it appears…

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Chrysanthemums Literary Analysis
    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Chrysanthemums Literary Analysis

    She isn’t gentle with flowers, instead using scissors to “destroy the pests.” Elisa also cleans the house from top to bottom, with “hard-polished windows” and a “clean mud mat on the front steps.” Elisa conforms to her feminine obligations but isn’t as feminine and gentle as she is expected to be. Elisa’s husband, Henry, also believes in those feminine roles she’s expected to fulfill. He notes how she has a “gift with things” but it only “works on flowers.” He also ends the conversation and dismisses her when he goes on to speak to some men about business matters. Henry doesn’t think that it’s right for a woman to be involved in business and should only be a housewife. Later on, Elisa asks her husband about the fights in town when driving, and he stops the car, surprised that she read about them. The other main character, the tinkerer, also believes Elisa shouldn’t do things usually reserved for men. When he tells her about how he sleeps in a wagon and constantly travels,…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Oppression In The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck
    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Oppression In The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck

    Henry and Elisa Allen live on a cattle ranch in the Salinas Valley and it is here that Elisa relishes in her flower garden. Elisa, dressed in a man’s old hat, clod hopper shoes, figure print dress that she covers with a blocked apron, and a pair of leather gloves, is busy with her chrysanthemums, while Henry is busy…

    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    John Steinbeck's 'Chrysanthemums'
    • 1289 Words
    • 6 Pages

    John Steinbeck's 'Chrysanthemums'

    delivers to the audience her thoughts and underlying emotions of being a woman in a “man’s world.” The chrysanthemums reflects Elisa’s character and her dreams of being free to grow, make decisions, free to travel, make her own money and most of all the desire to be attractive. Elisa feels closed in and secluded from the rest of the world, just as Steinbeck describes the atmosphere at the introduction of the story, “The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world” (192).…

    • 1289 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism In The Flowers And Chrysan
    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Symbolism In The Flowers And Chrysan

    Just like the title, the symbol of the story are chrysanthemums. The protagonist of the story, Elisa Allen, a strong and independent women, was compared to the chrysanthemums in which she cared so greatly for. For example, describing Elisa’s actions; “She was cutting down the old year’s chrysanthemum stalks with a pair of short and powerful scissors…. Her face was eager and mature and handsome; even her work with the scissors was over-eager , over-powerful. The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy” (Steinbeck 6). Even the chrysanthemums which are stocky, thick, and have many tiers, were no match for for Elisa who is stocky meaning strongly willed and just strong in general. She was so very unusual for a women in the time in which she lived and was definitely juxtaposed with the gender roles back in that era. The simple chrysanthemum characterized the static character of Elisa in numerous ways which were mentioned previously; she is strong, determined, untouched, and…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Chrysanthemums Symbolism
    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Chrysanthemums Symbolism

    In John Steinbeck's “The Chrysanthemums” Elisa Allen shows how women are being oppressed and trapped in a man's world. Steinbeck does a good job developing the theme over the course of the story. Steinbeck uses many symbols to get his point across. In the first paragraph the theme is displayed when the narrator states the Salinas Valley is like living in a closed pot. A few paragraphs later the chrysanthemum flower is used as a symbol to display the theme. Finally, Elisa's clothes are used to show the reader how women are being oppressed. These ideas help the reader understand what the theme of the story truly is.…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Who Is John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums: Gender Criticism
    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Who Is John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums: Gender Criticism

    While on the way to dinner with her husband Elisa finally realizes that she had been taken advantage of. She sees that the handy man has discarded her beloved chrysanthemums in the ditch on the side of the road. She realizes that the man used flattery of her and her flowers to get work. This realization makes her break down and cry. She then understands that she is doomed to her current role in society, a passive woman, and she hates it.…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Chrythansemums
    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Chrythansemums

    In this story, such transformation is visible within the main character – Elisa Allen. In the beginning, she is presented to the reader as a physically strong, masculine persona. “Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were clear as water…Her figure looked blocked and heavy” (Steinbeck 513). Elisa is wearing an androgynous gardening outfit, complete with heavy shoes and an apron filled with sharp, phallic implements. Steinbeck purposely describes her character as “mature” and “handsome”, suggesting her image to be manlike, strong and powerful. By contrast, the author mentions Elisa’s eyes…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics