... not having a child, and her husband's failure to admire her romantically as a woman. The only outlet for her frustration is her flower garden. This is where she cultivates beautiful chrysanthemums. The chrysanthemums tell a great deal about Elisa's struggle to find her own identity. She does not seem in touch with her sexuality, and she is unable to articulate the source of the ... well-placed words from the tinker, her masculine image has been replaced with a feminine one. The tinker is a catalyst in Elisa's life. By giving him the red flowerpot with the chrysanthemums, she gives him t...

• Word Count: 971
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... not having a child, and her husband's failure to admire her romantically as a woman. The only outlet for her frustration is her flower garden. This is where she cultivates beautiful chrysanthemums. The chrysanthemums tell a great deal about Elisa's struggle to find her own identity. She does not seem in touch with her sexuality, and she is unable to articulate the source of the ... well-placed words from the tinker, her masculine image has been replaced with a feminine one. The tinker is a catalyst in Elisa's life. By giving him the red flowerpot with the chrysanthemums, she gives him t...

• Word Count: 971
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... to a close, Elisa begins to blossom and show confidence, and allows the protective gates to be broken down around herself and her flowers. Chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa by having sensitivity under a strong outer layer. Steinbeck describes Elisa's face as "lean and strong and her eyes were as clear ... for herself and her flowers that their sweetness could be damaged by outside influences. Thus, she had gates built around them both for protection. The chrysanthemums and Elisa both had a unique beauty that was not apparent to everyone at an immediate first glance. Most often a beautiful ...

• Word Count: 983
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... to a close, Elisa begins to blossom and show confidence, and allows the protective gates to be broken down around herself and her flowers. Chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa by having sensitivity under a strong outer layer. Steinbeck describes Elisa's face as "lean and strong and her eyes were as clear ... for herself and her flowers that their sweetness could be damaged by outside influences. Thus, she had gates built around them both for protection. The chrysanthemums and Elisa both had a unique beauty that was not apparent to everyone at an immediate first glance. Most often a beautiful ...

• Word Count: 977
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... setting, and detailed descriptions of Elisa Allen. The inability to voice their own opinions causes Elisa to divulge in another means of expression, her chrysanthemums. There are a variety of tactics that Steinbeck utilizes in order to allow the reader to come to this very conclusion that Eliza and her ... emotions are isolated from the real world, and that it takes a stranger's interest in her chrysanthemums or emotions for her to open up; however only to be let down soon after. The first indication of isolation comes with the opening sentence: ... very important figure within Steinbec...

• Word Count: 1124
• Approx Pages: 4

... dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron ."" But when she starts working on the chrysanthemums, "her face was eager and mature and handsome."" This shows that she feels the confidence when she is with her chrysanthemums. But her husband does not appreciate her flowers so much since he says, "I wish you ... a long-stemmed flower? Looks like a quick puff of colored smoke?- which could be compared with what her husband says, "Some of those yellow chrysanthemums you had this year were ten inches across."" What the man says excite her because it tells of its elegance and its bea...

• Word Count: 625
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... hopelessness is revealed through the use of language: specifically, diction, symbols, repetition, and figurative language. Diction is one of the main elements of language unveiled in the story of "Chrysanthemums" supporting the tone of hopelessness. Within this language element of diction word repetition is used continuously throughout the story to illustrate the tone of hopelessness. For example, the word pale ... referred to as "cold and tender" (1058). All of these references of imagery support the tone of hopelessness. In the story Elisa is describing how to care for the chrysanthemum...

• Word Count: 961
• Approx Pages: 4

Feminism in John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums." At first glance John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" seems to be a story about a woman whose niche is in the garden. Upon deeper inspection the story has strong notes of feminism in the central character Elisa Allen ... and becomes irritated. When he persists in asking her she reply's "I tell you I have nothing like that for you to do" (paragraph 46). The drifter mentions Elisa's chrysanthemums and she immediately loosens up as "the irritation and resistance melt(ed) from her face" (paragraph 51). The drifter feigns great interest in Elisa ....

• Word Count: 797
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... the story. Elisa Allen, whom Joseph W. Beach calls, "One of the most delicious characters ever transferred from life to the pages of a book." "The Chrysanthemums", depicts the life of a poor, hardworking people. A couple Henry and Elisa Allen live and work on a farm. The husband and wife seem to share ... bread alone"(Lewis). They both have interests of their own. Henry is persisted into caring his livestock, as Elisa remains tendi! ng her garden of chrysanthemums. The garden is a part of Elisa, it helps her achieve and dominate her strengths. This way she can get others to appreciate h...

• Word Count: 1060
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

John Steinbeck's short story, "The Chrysanthemums," centers around a woman named Elisa, an avid gardner who is strong, "blocked and heavy" (Steinbeck). When the story begins, Elisa is working in her garden when her husband approaches her ... it and doesn't realize the statement she is trying to make. Not only does her husband's response upsets her, but she also spots something on the ground. It was her chrysanthemums that she had given to the tinker. She realizes that he had no interest in the flowers at all and everything he said was a lie so he could get some ... ...

• Word Count: 821
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The tone in The Chrysanthemums, by John Steinbeck gave me a sense of envy toward men. The main reason why I get this feeling is because Elisa Allen is a hard working housewife who doesn't really have much ... whole tone from being happy with everything that she has and is. Then she gets upset because this guy is telling her where her place is. She gives him the chrysanthemums and sends him on his way. She then goes into the house and takes her bath to get ready to go out. While taking her bath it seems like the ... ...

• Word Count: 601
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Characters in "The Chrysanthemums," by John Steinbeck play a very large role in bringing the theme of the story to light. Steinbeck uses these characters to show how women were oppressed in the early ... ...

• Word Count: 658
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... actions around the main character seem to enhance the way the character develops. The use of symbolism to develop the characters is easy to see in the short story "the chrysanthemums" by John Steinback. In this story Steinback writes of a woman who lives on a farm; but the woman feels trapped, and wishes that she could free herself. The author uses both ... ...

• Word Count: 841
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... him and rejects his offers to have her things fixed. After several attempts and offers the man was going to turn away and leave but he catches a glimpse of the chrysanthemums and suddenly thereafter, their conversation makes a quick turn and heads toward another direction. Steinbeck introduces this turn in direction of their conversation with the following lines: "What's them plants, ma ... "am?" The irritation and resistance melted from Elisa's face. "Oh, those are chrysanthemums, giant whites and yellows. I raise them every year, bigger than anybody around here" (249). Notice how Stein...

• Word Count: 1566
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... manner, implies that she takes great pride in her prize flowers. Further more; Steinbeck goes into detail about the method in which she cares for the chrysanthemums. "The chrysanthemums were too small and easy for her energy. She . . . put her strong fingers . . . into the forest of new green chrysanthemum sprouts ... with her capability as a "mother" in caring for these flowers. Eliza's joy in her "planting hands" and their power to grow suck exquisite chrysanthemums stresses the fact that Eliza has exchanged her non-existent children for these flowers. Steinbeck states, "there is no su...

• Word Count: 619
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... in a story. Symbolism is utilized as an enhancement tool to stress the plot of each story. Symbolism is used greatly in the short stories "Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck, and "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson; therefore, symbolism has a tendency to influence the plot in both short stories. The ... wagon approaches her. Although his appearance is not the greatest, she is interested in him. The reason being is that he shows interest in her chrysanthemums in order to persuade her to find something for him to fix. Again the connection there is that he was interested in her flowers, meanin...

• Word Count: 1318
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... "she hadn't anything for him to do". Her attitude quickly changed, illustrating Elisa's character also as dynamic, when he became interested in her chrysanthemums. It seems this character can also become defensive when she thinks someone is too overbearing to get what they want. Elisa's husband tries to compliment ... telling her she "looks different, strong, and happy" when she was all dressed up for dinner. Unfortunately, it is the realization of the lost chrysanthemums the drifter is carrying that has made Elisa feel so disappointed at the end of this story. The other character in this...

• Word Count: 1046
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... Chrysantemums-, the author John Steinbeck presents a marriage with a serious problems of communication. To presents these problems he used the flower as a symbol ( the chrysanthemums) to represent the wife "Elisa Allen-. At the beginning of the story the husband, who is always working on the farm, showed how he is with ... his wife. The author presents us this situation by letting us know how the husband feels about the chrysanthemums: "I wish you'd work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big-. With this, the husband showed the little apreciation he has ... for the his wife. ...

• Word Count: 534
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... different conditions they're situated in. They imply a somewhat indirect new code of conduct for today's women. Nick Joaquin's "The Summer Solstice-, Alice Walker's "Everyday Use-, and John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums- challenge us to understand the meaning behind them and to give importance to the female protagonists. "The Summer Solstice- by Nick Joaquin introduces the main character, Doña Lupeng, in ... great valley a closed pot- reflects Elisa's isolation. She is strong yet vulnerable. Her vulnerability is shown through her experience with the peddler. Thinking the peddler was ...

• Word Count: 1260
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... and Grandmother MacLeod. Elisa is painfully aware she is trapped in a man's world while Grandmother MacLeod is unaware of being trapped in the past. From the onset of "The Chrysanthemums" a tone of isolation is introduced: "The high gray-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from the rest of the world. On ... ;( Steinbeck 214). Although Elisa knows, "I've got a gift with things" (Steinbeck 215), and she has ambition, "her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful. The chrysanthemums seemed too small and easy for her energy" (Steinbeck 214), she h...

• Word Count: 639
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums", at first glance, seems to be a story about a woman and her passion for gardening. After the initial reading, however, this story's plot screams feminism. In Steinbeck ... a true lady. Elisa "shoves the thick scissors in her apron pocket" again, not the delicate way a woman would have done it. Elisa does not seem to cultivate her chrysanthemums in a way that is gentle and loving. She is exhibiting her masculine traits. There is a feminine part of her, however, wanting to emerge. Elisa is wearing the print ... Elisa responding, he continues to feed the fi...

• Word Count: 927
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... What Might have Been Elisa Allen is introduced to us as a common housewife, who spends her days in her flower beds or in the kitchen, cooking. Her passion is growing chrysanthemums; she grows the biggest, most beautiful blossoms in the Salinas Valley. She lives a quiet, simple life and never really questions that her only dream and goal is to have to ... biggest chrysanthemums each year until she is visited by a traveling "Mr. Fix It." The day he turned down her road, she grew, more than she would ever realize. When she witnesses the ... do so many of us still feel so obligated to put ...

• Word Count: 360
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

John Steinbeck utilizes two main characters to contrast different forms of strength in the short story " The Chrysanthemums". Steinbeck uses his female protagonist, Elisa, is a middle-aged woman who is beginning to question how strong she is as a female in a society where males are viewed as the stronger ... the hat she was wearing was a man's. In the middle of the story Elisa meets the "fix-it man". Speaking with him gives Elisa a chance to express her skill with chrysanthemums which makes her feel powerful and clever in her expertise of gardening. As Elisa is describing her mechanical way...

• Word Count: 694
• Approx Pages: 3

... life both from others and from herself. Both of these symbols that Steinbeck uses are equally important, as we can see Elisa as a fighter and as a wilting flower, however the chrysanthemums are the more dominant symbol. In the story, Elisa's physical strength is adequate and evident throughout the story. She is described as "lean and heavy" (Steinbeck 260) and "mature and ... ...

• Word Count: 518
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School