Contentment And Happiness In The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck
Contentment and happiness are generally categorized as parallel emotions, but they are definitely not the same. Contentment is a state of having no problems or issues, whereas happiness is having joy. John Steinbeck writes about a woman who learns the difference between being content and being happy in “The Chrysanthemums”. Steinbeck’s protagonist, Elisa, is married to a man who has subpar communication skills and who has little to no understanding of women. Though Elisa is content with being poorly understood, she is not happy. However, Elisa discovers that those who appreciate and love an individual most may not be the best at conveying their feelings, and that one must be grateful for that which is possessed rather than that which is conceived.
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On the way into town, Elisa tells Henry that, “It will be enough if we can have wine. It will be plenty”, and she restates her words in effort to convince her grief that all will be well (Steinbeck 253). The story ends with her crying “like an old woman” (Steinbeck 253) which displays her loss of innocence in having to realize that her hopes of being understood were false. Elisa only thinks she is being understood, which makes her even less appreciative of Henry who tries his hardest. Elisa does not notice or realize the effort that Henry puts into talking to her. Elisa does notice the difference between Henry and the repairman’s dialogue. She fancies a life with a man who values flowers and can converse about them. The dream of living such a life leaves Elisa pensive and forlorn once she realizes that her desires will never be her reality.
Although “The Chrysanthemums” ends with a melancholy tone, the message of the story is not that the reader will never be understood or that true happiness is unattainable.Steinbeck does not aim to lower ideals or depreciate dreams. The theme is composed to linger in the reader’s mind, then resurface whenever there is potential for misplacing hope. Elisa experiences having her heart broken so that a few readers might be spared from a similar tragedy. The theme is that the grass on this side may not have pretty yellow flowers, but grass on the other side might just be
On the way into town, Elisa tells Henry that, “It will be enough if we can have wine. It will be plenty”, and she restates her words in effort to convince her grief that all will be well (Steinbeck 253). The story ends with her crying “like an old woman” (Steinbeck 253) which displays her loss of innocence in having to realize that her hopes of being understood were false. Elisa only thinks she is being understood, which makes her even less appreciative of Henry who tries his hardest. Elisa does not notice or realize the effort that Henry puts into talking to her. Elisa does notice the difference between Henry and the repairman’s dialogue. She fancies a life with a man who values flowers and can converse about them. The dream of living such a life leaves Elisa pensive and forlorn once she realizes that her desires will never be her reality.
Although “The Chrysanthemums” ends with a melancholy tone, the message of the story is not that the reader will never be understood or that true happiness is unattainable.Steinbeck does not aim to lower ideals or depreciate dreams. The theme is composed to linger in the reader’s mind, then resurface whenever there is potential for misplacing hope. Elisa experiences having her heart broken so that a few readers might be spared from a similar tragedy. The theme is that the grass on this side may not have pretty yellow flowers, but grass on the other side might just be