Who Is Elisa's Characterization In The Chrysanthemums
Elisa’s Characterization in “The Chrysanthemums”
In Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” Elisa Allen is a lonely woman who enjoys growing and nourishing her chrysanthemums in the valley of Salinas, California. But, with all the beauty of the beautiful valley she feels isolated from the world. “The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salina Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world. On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot.”(347 paragraph 1) Elisa is frustrated with her marriage to Henry and this makes her feel more isolated and closer to her garden which she finds connection with her flowers. Gregory Palmerino explains their lack lustful relationship in The Explicator, “Both Elisa and Henry equally suffer from conflict avoidance and appear to habitually withdraw from each other spiritually, intellectually, and, presumably, physically: she to her immaculate garden and hard-swept house and he to his shaggy-coated steer and tractor shed.” Cynthia Bily explains in Short Stories for Students essay, “Elisa already leads a lonely life, in terms of her …show more content…
She is so upset that she can not even look at the caravan and the tinker as they pass them on the road. As Gregory Palmerino points out, “Elisa turns her back and avoids the overarching truth she is unwilling or unable to face: she is mired in a “mismatched” marriage, one that avoids inherent discord and, ultimately, any possibility for progression.” She mentions to Henry that she would like to have wine with dinner and he thinks that it is a great idea. The alcohol may be a way of numbing the pain and the feel of loneliness for both Elisa and Henry. Elisa cries because it seems that she will be in the garden jail forever with only the flowers to have an intimate relationship
In Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” Elisa Allen is a lonely woman who enjoys growing and nourishing her chrysanthemums in the valley of Salinas, California. But, with all the beauty of the beautiful valley she feels isolated from the world. “The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salina Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world. On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot.”(347 paragraph 1) Elisa is frustrated with her marriage to Henry and this makes her feel more isolated and closer to her garden which she finds connection with her flowers. Gregory Palmerino explains their lack lustful relationship in The Explicator, “Both Elisa and Henry equally suffer from conflict avoidance and appear to habitually withdraw from each other spiritually, intellectually, and, presumably, physically: she to her immaculate garden and hard-swept house and he to his shaggy-coated steer and tractor shed.” Cynthia Bily explains in Short Stories for Students essay, “Elisa already leads a lonely life, in terms of her …show more content…
She is so upset that she can not even look at the caravan and the tinker as they pass them on the road. As Gregory Palmerino points out, “Elisa turns her back and avoids the overarching truth she is unwilling or unable to face: she is mired in a “mismatched” marriage, one that avoids inherent discord and, ultimately, any possibility for progression.” She mentions to Henry that she would like to have wine with dinner and he thinks that it is a great idea. The alcohol may be a way of numbing the pain and the feel of loneliness for both Elisa and Henry. Elisa cries because it seems that she will be in the garden jail forever with only the flowers to have an intimate relationship