The Chrysanthemums Symbolism Essay

The 1930’s was a period of empowerment for women. The Great Depression gave women a taste of what life would be like as strong, independent people. However, when the Great Depression came to an end life returned to the way things were. In American author John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums” (1938), he explores the life of a woman desperate for independence from a world run by men. Steinbeck uses symbolism to illustrate a woman’s search for fulfilment in a male dominated society. The description of the Salinas Valley is a direct symbol of Elisa’s isolation and unhappiness. “The high gray-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from the rest of all the world. On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains
This closed pot suggests that Elisa is trapped in a world where she cannot see the end and has reached the ultimate point of frustration. She has isolated herself from her husband and society by desiring to be more than just a house wife. Steinbeck uses Elisa to illustrate the desire of achieving the American dream. “Steinbeck was-and will likely remain- the preeminent American novelist of the Great Depression. No other writer has better exposed the dark underside of the American dream. At the same time, few novelists have matched his ability to celebrate the human hopes symbolized in that dream” (Shuman 1453). Elisa hopes to par take in the American dream, however, due to society’s view on the role of a woman, she is forced to settle for less. The Salinas Valley also illustrates Elisa’s unhappiness. “On the foothill ranches across the Salinas River, the yellow stubble fields seemed to be bathed in pale cold sunshine, but there was no sunshine in the valley now in December” (Steinbeck 325). The definition of sunshine is, “something (as a person, condition, or influence) that radiates warmth, cheer, or happiness” (Merriam-webster.com). When a scene is described as
A pot is a yonic symbol that represents Elisa’s body. The tinker sweet talks Elisa by complimenting her chrysanthemums, and even goes on to explain to Elisa that a customer of his is in need of a chrysanthemum plant. “‘Look. I know a lady down the road a piece, has got the nicest garden you ever seen. Got nearly every kind of flower but no chrysanthemums…she said to me, ‘If you ever run acrost some nice chrysanthemums I wish you’d try and get me a few seeds’” (Steinbeck 329). After hearing this Elisa became ecstatic; she was so excited to share her chrysanthemums with someone who cares. She explains to the tinker how nurture these chrysanthemums. She gives him detail after detail of the proper way to show these plants love, and then sends him off with a flower pot full of chrysanthemums. “‘I'll put them in a flower pot, and you can take them right with you’” (Steinbeck 329). She began to prepare these chrysanthemums with the intention that the tinker would take care of them. With each chrysanthemum placed inside that pot, the more of herself she was giving away. That pot was her, a vessel carrying her very soul inside her. He takes this pot not fully understanding what this gift meant. The tinker misuses this gift of herself for his own personal gain. “…Elisa sees the discarded flowers on the road and realizes that the tinker had deceived her…he had merely used her to his own advantage” (Fiorelli 2210). He