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
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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
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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
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In the early 1900’s‚ farm families do not go into town every day. Therefore‚ they do not have much interaction with the public. Hence‚ Henry and Elisa Allen spend the majority of their time tending to the farm. In the John Steinbeck story‚ The Chrysanthemums‚ he tells of a lonely‚ hardworking farm wife‚ who is seeking attention‚ and wonders what life could be like outside of the valley‚ but decides to settle for the country life she currently lives. To begin‚ Henry and Elisa live in Salinas Valley
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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
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time. Although they live well‚ and Elisa has found joy in creating her Chrysanthemums‚ it is not enough to make her forget that she is not truly happy. Elisa learns to live like this‚ and she has settled for this for many years‚ but after one day seeing the kind of life that is really made for her‚ she is left with deep sadness when she realizes the life she wants is not a life for her. Elisa has conformed to her Chrysanthemums‚ and to her husband even living a life more fulfilling then her. Although
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Name Professor Course Date: Chrysanthemums: Literary Criticism At the turn of the 20th century‚ women were considered inferior to men: they were only required to stay at home‚ take care of households and children. “The Chrysanthemums”‚ as told by John Steinbeck‚ is a story of a woman during that period who tries to change the course of her destiny. In this story‚ the two-fold issues of femininity and symbolism play a critical part in explaining this helplessness. Steinbeck uses the narrative
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The Chrysanthemums Feminist Lens The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck shows the world in the perception of women during a period of time where they held little power‚ were contained and weren’t as valuable as men. The protagonist Elisa is contained within her house and her garden. This is shown when the author says “like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot.”(112) also the fence in Elisa garden represents a barrier between her and the outside world. Elisa is shown as
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In the world created by John Steinback‚ in the story of “The Chrysanthemums”‚ being an intelligent girl whose accepted into the society is a hard task. Elisa is caught up in all the household work while not being able to enjoy any of the outside world. She’s shown to have the life and struggles of a typical house wife‚ who is passive and not strong enough‚ lacking the attributes it takes to step out of her comfort zone and take responsibility and action to make herself content. The setting sets the
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John Steinbeck‚ in his short story "The Chrysanthemums" depicts the trials of a woman attempting to gain power in a man’s world. Elisa Allen tries to define the boundaries of her role as a woman in such a closed society. While her environment is portrayed as a tool for social repression‚ it is through nature in her garden where Elisa gains and shows off her power. As the story progresses‚ Elisa has trouble extending this power outside of the fence that surrounds her garden. In the end‚ Elisa learns
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