“The Chrysanthemums” is a short story written by John Steinbeck. The story revolves around a woman named Elisa Allen, who lives on a ranch with her husband Henry. Elisa is a passionate gardener and takes great pride in her chrysanthemums.
One day, a man named Edward arrives at the ranch and shows interest in Elisa’s flowers. The two chat for awhile and Edward asks to buy some of the chrysanthemums. Elisa agrees, and Edward gives her a bouquet of the flowers.
As Edward leaves, Elisa feels a sense of elation and looks at her plain life in a new light. She begins to see herself as a woman who is capable of more than just being a housewife and gardener.
However, when she tries to share her new-found sense of self with her husband, he doesn’t seem to understand or care. This only serves to reinforce Elisa’s feeling that she is trapped in her current life.
The chrysanthemums can be seen as a symbol for Elisa herself. The flowers represent her femininity, beauty, and potential. However, like Elisa, they are confined and limited by the restrictions of her life.
Steinbeck employs symbolism in “Chrysanthemums” to convey various meanings. A symbol is a mechanism that may be used to imply considerably more than its literal meaning. He uses these symbols to delve even deeper into the people and their circumstances. Elisa has a garden, which is more than simply a garden, and her chrysanthemums are more than simply flowers. In the tale, she engages in activities that have additional implications.
The garden is a symbol for Elisa’s life. It is something that she can control and make beautiful. The chrysanthemums are a symbol for her femininity. They are delicate and need special care to grow. The actions that she takes in the story, such as cutting off the heads of the chrysanthemums, have hidden meanings. They represent her repressed anger and frustration at being stuck in a loveless marriage. The symbols in the story help to give a deeper understanding of the characters and their situations.
Elisa is a housewife from the country. She is distant from her spouse and disconnected from the rest of the world. She’s a homebody, which means she doesn’t go out much and has a lot of energy built up. Cleaning up her home consumes part of her time and energy, but most of it is devoted to her flower garden. Her garden is a tranquil haven for Elisa. It’s essentially her own little universe where she can be herself and be the person she wants to be.
The chrysanthemums are her pride and joy. They’re strong and beautiful, just like she wishes she could be. Elisa’s husband, Henry, is a very practical man. He doesn’t understand Elisa’s love for her flowers and he thinks that she should spend more time on practical things. He’s always trying to get her to do more around the house and less in her garden. When he comes home from work, the first thing he does is go to Elisa and ask her how her day was. She always has trouble answering him because she doesn’t want to tell him the truth: that she was bored and lonely all day.
One day, a traveling salesman comes to the house and Elisa is immediately intrigued. She’s never talked to a stranger before and she’s excited by the prospect. The salesman, however, is only interested in selling his wares and he doesn’t really pay attention to Elisa. She tries to engage him in conversation, but he just brushes her off. When he sees her chrysanthemums, though, he’s impressed. He tells her that she has a gift for growing them and he gives her a compliment that finally makes her feel good about herself.
Elisa is so elated by the salesman’s words that she decides to give him one of her chrysanthemums. He’s thrilled and he thanks her profusely. As he’s leaving, she has the sudden urge to go with him. She feels like she could be happy on the road, living a life of adventure. But she quickly pushes the thought away and goes back into her house.
The chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa’s repressed femininity. She’s a strong woman, but she’s been forced to live a very traditional lifestyle. The chrysanthemums are her way of expressing her true self, even if it’s only in her own little world. When the salesman compliments her on them, it gives her a moment of self-actualization. She realizes that she’s good at something and that she has value. However, she quickly pushes the thought away and goes back to her normal life. The chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa’s unfulfilled potential.
The chrysanthemums are also seen as a representation for her heart. Her life appeared dim, monotonous, and unavoidable. She wanted to see the world, but she knew she shouldn’t leave her husband. She felt that her husband was not properly cared for in terms of his personal attention, so she took care of herself by trimming and transplanting her chrysanthemums with great attention. She carefully trimmed them and relocated them with meticulous care.
The chrysanthemums represented her own femininity that had been suppressed for so long. When the tinker came along and showed an interest in her, she was elated. The tinker admired her chrysanthemums so much that he asked if he could take some with him. She was thrilled at the prospect of someone finally understanding her love for the flower.
The chrysanthemums symbolized her hope for a more fulfilling life. When her husband came home and saw that the chrysanthemums were gone, he assumed that she had given them away to the tinker. In reality, she had just given away a part of herself that she felt she no longer needed. The chrysanthemums symbolize her repressed femininity, her hope for a more fulfilling life, and her eventual self-discovery.
The bath is another element in the narrative. This isn’t just about cleaning her bodily body; it’s also about cleansing her mental being. She’s always dressed like a guy. In some ways, she aspired to equality. She desired the same respect that men received. After the tinkerer left, she understood that she was a woman and didn’t need to be male in order to be respected. She also discovered that she needed to be more feminine.
The story ends with the image of the chrysanthemums blooming. This is symbolic of her finally blooming as a woman. She is no longer hiding behind her work or her masculinity. She is finally able to be who she really is.
