In John 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck has been labeled as a feminist story for its commentary on patriarchy and feminine self expression in the time of the story. This story highlights a strong woman’s attempt to break out of the shackles she has lived in for all of her life. The story comments on and symbolizes gender roles‚ female sexuality and character development. The Chrysanthemums is shaped by the common gender roles that is present in society. When the main character‚ Elisa‚ is first introduced
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can be lonely. 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
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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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in a serene and calm setting: "The stars still shone and the day had drawn only a pale wash of light in the lower sky to the east" (Steinbeck‚ 1). Kino is in a state of relaxation with his family being in his presence. At that moment‚ "there was a song now‚ clear and soft‚ and if had been able to speak of it‚ he would have called it the Song of the Family" (Steinbeck‚ 2). All was well in Kino’s house hold‚ thus‚ proving that everything is okay and peaceful when family is one. Once
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