The Chrysanthemums Gender

The short story, “The Chrysanthemums,” was written in 1937, by American author John Steinbeck. The short story centers around a thirty five year old housewife named, Elisa. Elisa works frequently in her luscious garden, often tending to her Chrysanthemums. Her marriage to her husband, Henry, appears to very bland and lacking any passion. While working in her garden one afternoon, a fix-it man in a covered wagon arrives to her and her husband’s home, asking if there is any work he can do for them in exchange for pay. Elisa is intrigued by the tinker and strikes up a conversation with him. They begin to talk about her Chrysanthemums; he claims that he has a customer who is interested in raising Chrysanthemums. Elisa gives him some of the flowers to take to his customer. After the tinker leaves, Elisa and Henry go to dinner and Elisa notices the discarded flowers on the side of the road where the tinker left them. Elisa then begins to cry, which goes unnoticed by her husband.
In “The Chrysanthemums,” John Steinbeck showcases the issues surrounding gender inequality that was prevalent during the 1930’s, as well as the importance of self fulfillment to one’s own personal
happiness. Gender inequality has been a pressing issue in American society for many years. Women are often not regarded as equal to men in any aspect of life, as shown in this short story. When Elisa’s husband, Henry, compliments her gardening techniques, in regard to her Chrysanthemums, he jokingly says that she should “work out in the orchard and raise apples that big” (208). When Elisa excitedly tries to accept this offer to help work in the fields, Henry brushes it off and tells her to continue using her gifts of gardening exclusively on her flowers (208). This shows that Henry does not really take his wife’s endeavors seriously. He brushes them off as frivolous and does not even consider her offer as serious. He assumes she should just stick to gardening as a hobby, and doesn't give her the chance to do actual gardening work, simply because she is a woman. If a man came along wanting to work, that had Elisa’s gardening skills, Henry would more than likely offer him a job. Elisa seems disappointed by this, but not surprised. Further showing the unequal treatment of women during the 1930’s to be the typical, social norm. When the Tinker comes by in his covered wagon, Elisa shows intrigue in his nomadic, exciting lifestyle. When she asks the man if he sleeps in his wagon, she states that “it must be very nice. I wish women could do such things” (212). To which the Tinker simply replies that “It ain’t the right kind of life for a woman” (212). Even when Elisa presses the man as to why that kind of lifestyle isn’t well suited for a woman, the Tinker brushes the question off completely and goes back to talking about his work, and the possibility to getting payed for his work. The Tinker, similarly to Henry, does not take Elisa very seriously. He does not feel that a lifestyle outside of being a housewife is appropriate for a woman, and when prompted about why it’s not, he does not take the question seriously or even bother to give an answer, showing that he does not respect Elisa very much; as men do not see women as equal. When Elisa and Henry leave to go to dinner, Elisa notices the discarded Chrysanthemums on the side of the road, not far from the house. At first, she tries not to look at them, and she begins trying to make excuses for the man, as to why he might have thrown them out, or that he may have done it on accident. Elisa tries her best to not feel emotional about the disregarded flowers, but she turns her face from her husband and turns up her coat collar, so Henry can not see her begin to cry (214). Elisa has a lot in common with the disregarded Chrysanthemums. She, similarly to the flowers, is rooted in one stagnant place. She feels stuck in the life that she leads, and has little to no real fulfillment in her life, which leads her to quiet sadness. She yearns for passion and adventure, but is often disregarded due to her gender. Both her husband and the male Tinker do not see all that she has to offer, as they are blinded by the gender inequality. Just as the flowers are disregarded, Elisa is often thrown off to the side and not given the rightful respect. Women, were often only thought of as wives and housekeepers, almost like a “decoration,” just as flowers are seen, only as a decoration. Elisa’s strong sense of unfulfillment leads her to the lackluster life she continues to lead. Steinbeck captured the essence of life as a middle class woman during the 1930’s in this short story. Society, as a whole, did not look at women as equals and often times disregarded the things that many women had to offer, simply due to their gender. This lead to many women feeling oppressed and unfulfilled and unhappy with their positions in society due to the lack of respect and seriousness that men showcased towards them.