The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck - 875 Words

Introduction The Chrysanthemums author, John Steinbeck, struggles to equality using Elisa Ellen. The Chrysanthemums depicts a capable, a woman who is denied fulfillment socially, sexually, and personal fulfillment through prevailing the woman s role conception in the men dominated the world. The appearance, speech, and actions of Elisa depict that frustration that women experienced in 1930 s Steinbeck s masculine world. Thus, this brings the questions: In what ways does Elisa s character develop and what does this suggests about the story meaning? How do Elisa s relations with Tinker compare with her relationship with Henry and what does this reveal about the story? How is the story a commentary on gender relations for its time? Therefore, â€Å"Steinbeck’s world† is more of a masculine world offers no chance to feminine liberationists. â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† show Elisa’s transformation throughout the story and reveal a different side of her that she seems to be mor e feminine instead of masculine, conversational, frustrated and aware of her self-suggesting women desires in a world dominated by men. The frustration evident as from the beginning of the book, when Elisa is introduced. There is gender inequality, the time is 1930’s and Elisa’s description is a heavy and clocked woman with heavy shoes, a big apron hiding her printed dress, heavy gloves and a â€Å"man’s black hat† (Steinbeck 330). Elisa’s home is described with qualities of masculinity by being â€Å"hard polished†Show MoreRelatedThe Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck982 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Chrysanthemums† is a short story written by John Steinbeck. The story was originally published in 1937 before later being released as a part of his The Long Valley collection. This is an important story as it expresses women in a way that is more realistic, showing their true boredom, ambition, and capabilities. Some scholars interpreted this story differently, but C. Kenneth Pellow interprets it as â€Å"radically feministic.† The Great Depression was finally endi ng and women’s rights were risingRead MoreThe Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck1559 Words   |  7 PagesThe Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck is a rich piece of work that has many underlying meanings hidden within it. I find that it was no mistake that this entire short story is a metaphor. Each character plays their own role in creating this metaphor from the very beginning of the story all the way until the bitter end. As well as characters, the lack of one particular â€Å"character† in this story seems to be the most important metaphor of all. No one character is more important than the other. They allRead MoreThe Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck Essay1327 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The Chrysanthemums† By John Steinbeck â€Å"Tears, Idle Tears† By Alfred, Lord Tennyson Both of these stories has the speaker/main character going through an emotional journey and in a way they are pretty similar with their own little differences. This story, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†, and this poem, â€Å"Tears, Idle Tears†, are both similar in the way that the main character/speaker of the story is upset and is crying either at one point in the story or in all of the poem. And, well, it’s not just that butRead MoreThe Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck889 Words   |  4 PagesWhen John Steinbeck s short story The Chrysanthemums first appeared in the October 1937 edition of Harper s Magazine (Osborne 479), Franklin D. Roosevelt had just been reelected president. The country was recovering from the Great Depression, unions were developing, and child labor in manufacturing was terminated (Jones 805-6). The first female cabinet member in American history, Frances Perkins, was appointed the Secretary of Labor (Jones 802). She was one of the few women in her time to gainRead MoreThe Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck Essay1694 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Chrysanthemums† by John Steinbeck, like many stories by this author, is loaded with symbolism and concepts about human nature. Each description of characters, places, and physical aspects is written in a way that is simple to understand, but one should not be tricked by his ordinary words since there is always a greater meaning behind them. In this particular story, if one considers the period of time when the story was written, which was the nineteen thirties, is perceived how Steinbeck presentsRead MoreThe Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck Analysis935 Words   |  4 PagesIn John Steinbeck‘s short story â€Å"The Chrysanthemums † Elisa Gives off the impression that she is not satisfied with her life. She can’t put a finger on her source of discomfort, but knows that she is not quite satisfied with how her life is continuing. Elisa’s husband doe sn’t give her the proper attention she is craving, so elisa turns to her only sense of compassion; her garden. Elisa uses her beloved chrysanthemums to express her inner feelings about what it’s like to truly care for something.Read MoreSymbolism in the Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck1758 Words   |  8 PagesJohn Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums is a story that is full of symbolism. After the first read, it might seem like an innocent tale about a woman and her garden. However, upon further examination, the reader learns it is actually a story about a womans desires and frustrations in her life. Steinbeck uses many examples, such as the flowers to symbolize the thoughts and ideas of the main character, Elisa, in this story. Elisa Allen is a lonesome woman who gets pleasure from growingRead MoreThe Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck Essay1029 Words   |  5 PagesSteinbeck’s â€Å"Chrysanthemums†: How Boundaries Limited Elisa’s Pursuing for Self Fulfillment â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†, â€Å"a brilliant piece of writing, perhaps the best story Steinbeck ever wrote†, as expressed by Jay Parini in his article Lawrence’s and Steinbeck’s â€Å"Chrysanthemums†, is one of the most interesting and ambiguous story of this writer. Steinbeck’s little story shows to the reader the reality of women during the nineteenth hundreds and the great depression. In order to show this reality,Read MoreThe Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck Analysis949 Words   |  4 PagesBiography John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, which is where the short story, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† is set in 1902. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature and his held in high regard, but not quite as high as Faulkner and Hemingway. Steinbeck died of a heart attack in Salinas, California in 1963 (Levant). Overview Steinbeck published the short story The Chrysanthemums in 1937 and included as part of his collection The Long Valley the following year. In the story, Henry AllenRead MoreSummary Of The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck858 Words   |  4 PagesSummary Response Essay- â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† Their are times in life when we all get so busy that we forget to make time for people we care about. This is because we take each other for granted and push aside the important things such as having fun, talking to each other and enjoying life with each other to deal with things we consider to be more important and concerning. This type of situation is becoming way too common in todays society with people connected with their work and that we no longer