The Crysanthemums Essay - 734 Words

John Steinbeck uses his unique literary style to write the short story â€Å"The Chrysanthemums,† where he brings his readers to a society of inequality amongst the genders. â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† depicts the challenges of Elisa Allen, a thirty five-year-old woman who is expected to be a traditional housewife. Her ongoing transformation throughout the story portrays the life of a woman trying to gain meaning in her dull life during the 1930’s. John Steinbecks, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums,† shows the true feelings of the protagonist, Elisa Allen, through the use of femininity, self-awareness, and weakness. Elisa’s character undergoes a complete transformation of femininity, due to her conversation with the tinker. The story†¦show more content†¦After her conversation with the tinker, she obtains a feeling of excitement, and hope because she now experiences a world of adventure and freedom that only men enjoy. Moreover, Elisa feels as though she has a chance of being apart of that world through the tinker. However, Elisa’s desire for equality to men is immediately lost when she discovers the chrysanthemums that she had given to the tinker thrown beside the road (237). Instead, she comes to the realization that the tinker had just used her, and at that point, she â€Å"turned up her coat collar so [Henry] could not see that she was crying weakly-like an old woman† (238). Elisa ultimately understands that she will always remain a woman who must endure her typical social role until she grows old. Furthermore, she becomes aware of the fact that her romance will only go as far as having wine with dinner, and eventually cries. From this discovery, Elisa ultimately acknowledges her inferior position to men. Although Elisa had a desire to be loved and accepted at the start of the story, she becomes weaker as the story comes to an end. Initially, Elisa is characterized as â€Å"lean and strong and her eyes wer e as clear as water† (228). In other words, she is described as a confident woman who takes pride in her talent of gardening. In addition, she tends to her flowers as if she were one of them. However, as soon as she notices her flowersShow MoreRelated Comparing Women in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman and The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck795 Words   |  4 Pagesinto a reformatory from which she must abscond. Elisa must also break free, decomp from the boundary, the fence, that is enclosing her in the stationary, non-progressive life. She sees hope, a way to expand, through her joy, her love, her talent crysanthemums. By sharing her love with others, she is actually leaving, going somewhere, helping someone, on the other side of the fence. Outside the windows, through the bars, the narrator finds a path, a channel of hope that she knows is her alliance withRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper and the Chrysanthemums - Symbols of Entrapment768 Words   |  4 Pagesa refor matory from which she must abscond. Elisa must also break free, decomp from the boundary, the fence, that is enclosing her in the stationary, non-progressive life. She sees hope, a way to expand, through her joy, her love, her talent crysanthemums. By sharing her love with others, she is actually leaving, going somewhere, helping someone, on the other side of the fence. Outside the windows, through the bars, the narrator finds a path, a channel of hope that she knows is her alliance with