Comparing The Vigilante And The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck

Mike and Elisa from the stories, “The Vigilante” and “The Chrysanthemums,” from John Steinbeck novel, The Long Valley, both felt emptiness inside and wanted to fit in with their community to fill the shadow within themselves. A shadow is a portion of our personality that we neglect and never accept within ourselves. The shadow comes in different forms and once we think we understand it, it appears in another form. Jung states that, “ the shadow is an integral part of our nature, and it can never be simply eliminated”(Welcome to the Dark 4). Everyone has a shadow within themselves, good or evil, and it can never go away even how much you fight it. Shadow carries all negative personas that we all try to keep hidden from the rest of the world;
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. Although she seems happy with her current husband Henry, she never realized how much she loves it when they talk about her gardening, even slightly. She shows huge excitement when her husband mentioned her working in the orchard and replied, “maybe I could do it too. I have a gift for things all right. My mother had it” (Steinbeck 11). She showed a lot of excitement, but knew that it was one of the very few times that they ever talked about her hobby. A few moments later, a man showed up to the farm and began talking to Elisa Allen and complimenting her. At first she was annoyed with his comments until
His shadow would reveal itself, which Mike did not want to bare to the rest of the community because he wanted to fit in. He would repress his feelings by re-thinking his actions when it came to hurting another person. When he stood there, watched, felt irritated next to a man, and he told him how he felt towards the man trying to burn the body. He turned to a man who stood beside him in the near-darkness, “ That don’t do no good, he said” (Steinbeck 133). Mike felt this strange feeling inside him, like dullness. Mike could not bear to watch anymore because, “his brain told him this was a terrible and important affair, but his eye and his feelings didn’t agree” (Steinbeck 134). Mike showed regret towards the situation. He knew it was terrible, but he needed to watch it to complete his void. Yet he felt more regret than satisfaction, “When he had been howling with the mob and fighting for a chance to help pull on the rope, then his chest had been so full that he found he was crying “ (Steinbeck 134). His animalistic shadow came out but it was not happiness it was an unexplainable feeling that he never felt before. His shadow was guilt, he no longer can bare his guiltiness with killing innocent men. He knew it was wrong to do it, but his shadow gave him have a second look with what was going on with his community. However, since he wanted