Throughout the ages women have been confined to the role of a family wife. Being born a women already gave you a set job to do for the rest of a girl’s life. In the Story “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck‚ Elisa lives a hopeful life until is goes through a downward spiral as she faces the hard truth of the world around her. Elisa starts out by feeling the desire for something more in life but is constantly prevented from it. Elisa comments that “When the night is dark- why the stars are sharp-pointed
Premium Woman Gender John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck was a free-lance writer from California who became well known after his first published story in 1935. In his story The Chrysanthemums Steinbeck‚ uses the theme of loneliness and confinement. The main character Elisa Allen is mainly focused on her garden of chrysanthemums will her husband is unaware of the changes she is going through while he sits next to her. He used imagery to reinforce his theme of loneliness and confinement by giving a detailed look on the valley and the characters
Premium John Steinbeck Salinas, California Great Depression
Steinbeck’s story “The Chrysanthemums” the main character Elisa is in the garden wearing men’s clothing; her appearance made her seem strong. "Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water"(Steinbeck 226). Elisa has a strong self-confident attitude in the beginning of the story before meeting the pot fixer‚ and by the end of the story she lacks confidence and feels like she is losing control. In the beginning‚ Elisa likes the power she has over the chrysanthemums. The author implies
Premium Gender Woman John Steinbeck
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
Premium Happiness John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums” is set in December near Salinas Valley‚ on a farm. The main theme in this short story is gender inequality. Gender inequality is seen throughout the story many times in different ways. In this essay I will explain how Steinbeck uses characters‚ culture‚ and plot to reinforce gender inequality throughout the story by making connections between the textual evidence and gender inequality‚ in order‚ to get a better understanding of why the theme is gender
Premium John Steinbeck Salinas, California Fiction
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
Premium Light English-language films The Shadow
Elisa’s Point of View In the short story‚ “The Chrysanthemums” John Steinbeck tells the story of Elisa Allen living on a ranch in the Salinas Valley with her husband Henry. Elisa is a thirty-five year-old house wife that takes pride in growing chrysanthemums. One day while cutting down last year’s chrysanthemums her husband tells her that he has just sold thirty cattle and is going to take her out to dinner and a movie. After that‚ a traveling tinker stops by her house and offers to fix any pots
Premium Woman Gender English-language films
Randy Miller Professor Robert Stambaugh English 1102 21 February 2012 Boundaries of a Powerful and Beautiful Woman A short story written in 1938 by John Steinbeck named “The Chrysanthemums” has been known over the years in the entire world for being one of the most outstanding and significant stories in literature. Steinbeck created a magnificent story that captures the attention of readers immediately because of the meaning and features of it. The author created a special way to take the reader
Premium John Steinbeck Woman Salinas, California
“The Chrysanthemums”‚ by John Steinbeck‚ is about a women wanting more. Elisa Allen lives on a ranch with her husband Henry Allen. Elisa is a lean‚ strong women‚ her eyes are as clear as water‚ and she has a knack for gardening. Elisa treats her Chrysanthemums‚ which are her prized possession. One day her husband Henry‚ who is a successful business man‚ comes and tells Elisa about a successful business deal he made. Henry says that he is going to take her to town for dinner to celebrate after he
Premium Family Short story John Steinbeck
September 27‚ 2011 “The Chrysanthemums” Critical Analysis “The Chrysanthemums”‚ written by John Steinbeck is a story about a thirty-five year-old woman named Elisa Allen and her encounter with an old bearded man in a wagon and his effect in her perspective in life. The point of view in which the story was narrated is relevant to its analysis and understanding. Also a character analysis can be done to interpret how they each think and act the way they do. Steinbeck uses a great amount of symbols
Premium John Steinbeck Great Depression Novella