Chrysanthemums
A Potential to be Noticed
Prompt: How do the Chrysanthemums resemble the role of women in society? What kind of symbols help show the overall theme?
Humans, just as flowers, can not fully live without sunlight, they can not develop without nourishment, and most of all, they can not flourish if life is constantly beating them down. Just as the Chrysanthemums fight to stay strong and powerful in the short story, “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck, the main character Emily tries to do the same. Both the setting and overall mood of the characters supports the comparison of Emily to her Chrysanthemums. She is faced with many obstacles such as her oblivious husband and her lack of exposure in the world. Steinbeck’s description of the gloomy setting symbolizes Elisa’s struggle to be noticed and his ignorant tone exemplifies the lack of understanding her husband has of her.
At the beginning of the story, Steinbeck introduces the setting by describing it as “cold and tender” with “no sunshine in the valley” (1). Not only does this description present an overall dreary mood, it represents Elisa’s hiddenness. With a “lid of fog” that covers her true talents and what she could bring to society. First, the chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa's children. She tends her garden and handles the chrysanthemums with love and care, just as she would handle her own children. Elisa is very protective of her flowers and places a wire fence around them; she makes sure "no aphids, no sowbugs or snails or cutworms" are there. "Her terrier fingers [destroy] such pests before they [can] get started" (240). These pests represent natural harm to the flowers, and, just as any good mother, she removes them before they can harm her children. The chrysanthemums are symbolic of her children, and she is very proud of them. When Elisa's husband compliments her on her flowers, she is proud, and "on her face there [is] a little smugness"(240). She is happy and
Prompt: How do the Chrysanthemums resemble the role of women in society? What kind of symbols help show the overall theme?
Humans, just as flowers, can not fully live without sunlight, they can not develop without nourishment, and most of all, they can not flourish if life is constantly beating them down. Just as the Chrysanthemums fight to stay strong and powerful in the short story, “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck, the main character Emily tries to do the same. Both the setting and overall mood of the characters supports the comparison of Emily to her Chrysanthemums. She is faced with many obstacles such as her oblivious husband and her lack of exposure in the world. Steinbeck’s description of the gloomy setting symbolizes Elisa’s struggle to be noticed and his ignorant tone exemplifies the lack of understanding her husband has of her.
At the beginning of the story, Steinbeck introduces the setting by describing it as “cold and tender” with “no sunshine in the valley” (1). Not only does this description present an overall dreary mood, it represents Elisa’s hiddenness. With a “lid of fog” that covers her true talents and what she could bring to society. First, the chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa's children. She tends her garden and handles the chrysanthemums with love and care, just as she would handle her own children. Elisa is very protective of her flowers and places a wire fence around them; she makes sure "no aphids, no sowbugs or snails or cutworms" are there. "Her terrier fingers [destroy] such pests before they [can] get started" (240). These pests represent natural harm to the flowers, and, just as any good mother, she removes them before they can harm her children. The chrysanthemums are symbolic of her children, and she is very proud of them. When Elisa's husband compliments her on her flowers, she is proud, and "on her face there [is] a little smugness"(240). She is happy and