David Van Nostrand Professor McRaniels English Comp II 13 September 2006 The Chrysanthemums Essay In his short story "The Chrysanthemums‚" John Steinbeck writes of a married couple and examines the psychology of the unhappiness in their marriage. It is a good depiction of marriage in the 1900’s which followed traditional roles‚ where the man is the chief breadwinner and the wife tends to household duties. The setting and the story’s protagonist‚ Elisa Allen‚ offer similar traits after his
Premium
My Interpretation of “The Chrysanthemums” “The Chrysanthemums” is one of John Steinbeck’s popular short stories. “The Chrysanthemums” represents inequality of gender‚ limitations‚ and feminism. The story is about a married woman living in the early 1900s who longs for a more exciting‚ meaningful existence. Elisa Allen is intelligent‚ accomplished‚ attractive‚ and ambitious. Yet she feels confined in her life and marriage. Steinbeck uses the world around Elisa to give the
Premium United States Life Marketing
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
Premium Woman Gender Marriage
The Chrysanthemum In the Chrysanthemum‚ Elisa is a woman married to a man who makes her unhappy and she does nothing about this. Elisa lives her unhappy life while being gardener like her mother and other woman once were. Elisa troubles are in my opinion entirely her fault and she is responsible for everything that happens to her. Elisa is a woman who’s unhappy with the overall image of a woman and what a woman was supposed to do; like stay in the home and be the gardener and
Premium Emotion Woman John Steinbeck
Marissa Cooper English 103 Thomas Birmingham The Chrysanthemums In the short story The Chrysanthemums‚ the author weaves a tale about one woman’s struggle with her confined life in a male dominated society. The story takes place in the Salinas Valley and focuses on the main character Elisa. In the short story The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck‚ the author employs literary devices to depict the theme of frustration and limitation. Steinbeck uses the weather as well as the setting
Premium
The Unhappily Married in Fiction The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck and Shiloh by Bobbie Ann Mason have many similar components with slight differences. The point of view in Shiloh is told by third person limited‚ and in Chrysanthemums it is also third person (mostly Elisa’s view.) The Chrysanthemums is a story about a wife named Elisa Allen who is unhappy with her life and marriage. Similarly‚ in Shiloh the main character’s name is Norma Jean Motif‚ and she is also unhappy with her marriage.
Premium Bobbie Ann Mason Masculinity
Writing Critical Analysis Papers1 A critical analysis paper asks the writer to make an argument about a particular book‚ essay‚ movie‚ etc. The goal is two fold: one‚ identify and explain the argument that the author is making‚ and two‚ provide your own argument about that argument. One of the key directions of these assignments is often to avoid/minimize summary – you are not writing a book report‚ but evaluating the author’s argument. Potential points of criticism Sometimes it can seem intimidating
Free Critical thinking
The Chrysanthemum: A Feminist Perspective Rebecca Pietron South University Online In John Steinbeck’s story The Chrysanthemum‚ the story is about a strong and intelligent woman who enjoys working in her garden. The main character in the story is Elisa Allen‚ who works in her garden everyday and she plants beautiful chrysanthemum’s every year. Elisa’s garden is protected by a wire fence that keeps cattle‚ dogs‚ and chickens away. (Steinbeck‚ 1938 Pg 376) Her husband is very pleased with her
Premium John Steinbeck Woman Gender
Symbolism in John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” In “The Chrysanthemus” Steinbeck’s ability to reveal major insights about both the central characters as well as humanity in general. Through heavy yet artful symbolism‚ an author can make something seemingly confusing or insignificant; manifest itself into a hugely relevant detail. “Chrysanthemums” is one of those tales. Utilizing a variety if symbols‚ such as Elisa`s clothing‚ images of inside versus outside‚ fights and flowers carefully
Premium John Steinbeck
Symbolism in John Steinbeck’s "The Chrysanthemums" In the short story‚ "The Chrysanthemums‚" Steinbeck effectively uses symbols to help the reader understand the story’s plot and obtain insight into characters’ thoughts and feelings‚ primarily Elisa. As the story’s main character‚ Elisa is a lonely thirty-five-year-old woman‚ who serves as the channel in which most of these symbols are used. Elisa feels neglected by her husband‚ Henry‚ who is always working cattle on their foothill ranch. He shows
Premium Symbol Flower Short story