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The Chrysanthemums

            John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" is a short story about a woman's transformation. "The Chrysanthemums" opens with the protagonist, Elisa Allen working in her garden. Her husband, Henry approaches her to ask her out to dinner and a movie to celebrate the sell of thirty steers. They seem to be a well matched couple, however, their way of talking together is serous and formal. Henry goes back to work and a wanderer who travels up and down the coast repairing pots and sharpening scissors approaches Elisa. Her conversation with this odd man leaves her feeling frustrated and dissatisfied. By the end of the story Elisa is a completely different person than she was before. Elisa experiences an incredible transformation that can be seen through her appearance and speech.
             In the beginning of the story Elisa is viewed as a tomboy. She does not have any feminine qualities. Elisa is described as a thirty-five year old woman. She has a lean and strong face with eyes as clear as water. Her figure looks blocked and heavy in her gardening costume. She wore a man's black hat which she pulled down low over her eyes. She also wore clod-hopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets to hold her gardening tools. She wore heavy leather gloves to protect her hands while she worked. While Elisa is gardening she meets a stranger who compliments her flowers in the hopes that this will gain him some work. The stranger asks Elisa if he can have some of her chrysanthemums to take to another one of his customers. Immediately a change takes place in Elisa. She takes off her black hat and shakes out her dark beautiful hair. The big leather gloves that protect and hide her feminine hands are now forgotten. Elisa is starting to lose the things that make her unfeminine.
             After the peddler leaves Elisa gets ready to go to town with Henry. She puts on her newest undergarments and the dress that is a symbol of her prettiness.


Essays Related to The Chrysanthemums

1. Chrysanthemums

... quandary is her husband, Henry, which acts like a little lad. "Henry put his joking ton. "There's fights tonight. How"d you like to go to the fights?"" The only thing Elisa has close to kids are her chrysanthemums. She needs to feel like she accomplished something and feels good about her life. Henry seems to just want a spouse that cooks, cleans, and cares for ... she had a strong barrier to people trying to take her money, but when he noticed her chrysanthemums that barrier went down. She enjoyed the salesmen's presents because she had someone to talk to and he would listen. Even thou...

  • Word Count: 371
  • Approx Pages: 1
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2. the Chrysanthemums

... life. Her frustration stems from 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 ... causes her to be antagonistic towards him. The meeting with tinker revives her feelings of femininity. Her resistance to his mundane matters disappears after the tinker romantically describes the chrysanthemums as a "quick puff ...

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3. The Chrysanthemums

... life. Her frustration stems from 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 ... causes her to be antagonistic towards him. The meeting with tinker revives her feelings of femininity. Her resistance to his mundane matters disappears after the tinker romantically describes the chrysanthemums as a "quick puff ...

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

4. Symbolism in Chrysanthemums

... that surrounds her garden. Finally, she learns but not accepts, that she possesses a weak feminine power, not the masculine one she had tried to achieve. The symbols in setting and characters show us the scope and nature of this empty society, and the chrysanthemums portray Elisa's existence and emptiness of her life. We can find those symbols almost everywhere in this story, which takes place ... he represents, Elisa shows us that at least she is trying to create something more than society dictates. The control and care for the chrysanthemums represent her own control and care for her...

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5. The Chrysanthemums

... and delicate with a tough, protective shell. She worries for herself and her flowers that an insensitive person will be able to get inside the gates and wreak havoc among her feelings and flowers. Both the woman and the chrysanthemums have a unique beauty. Both the woman and the flowers possess attractiveness, but in comparison to other woman and flowers, Elisa's beauty has become muted internally. Just like ... inside her "gate." So as to avoid being hurt by outsiders, she would like to be looked on as a beautiful woman, but she lacks the confidence to open up and show her hidden beaut...

  • Word Count: 983
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  • Grade Level: High School

6. Chrysanthemums

... and delicate with a tough, protective shell. She worries for herself and her flowers that an insensitive person will be able to get inside the gates and wreak havoc among her feelings and flowers. Both the woman and the chrysanthemums have a unique beauty. Both the woman and the flowers possess attractiveness, but in comparison to other woman and flowers, Elisa's beauty has become muted internally. Just like ... inside her "gate." So as to avoid being hurt by outsiders, she would like to be looked on as a beautiful woman, but she lacks the confidence to open up and show her hidden beaut...

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

7. "Symbolism in Chrysanthemums"

... times, in romantic context, a woman is often said to be as beautiful as the flower. In John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums", Elisa Allen never gets this recognition all thought she is in many ways the flowers in the story. She is a strong woman and she is frustrated because her husband will not admire her romantically in any way. She discovers an outlet for her ... to find something to care for. Her husband's statement, "I wish you"d work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big." shows the little interest he has for her and also her chrysanthemums. In the beginnin...

  • Word Count: 661
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

8. The Chrysanthemums

In the story "The Chrysanthemums- by John Steinbeck, the chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa's confidence and her feminist side. In the beginning, the narrator talks about her passion for the planting of chrysanthemums which she is so good at. It is shown by her chrysanthemums, which have no aphids, "no sowbugs or snails or cutworms."" However, when she is not with the chrysanthemum or feels disconnected with the chrysanthemums, she will not be ... proud. She feels that when she is with her husband, who seems not to understand her "gift- as a planter. Through the story, Elisa gains the confidence ...

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

9. The Storm

... "face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water". In her garden, the chrysanthemums grew with the work of her hands and the care of her heart. She works in the garden wearing "heavy leather gloves to protect her hands while she worked". When the drifter first approached her for some work, she became hesitant and irritable and exclaimed that "she hadn ... in this story is Elisa's husband, Henry. He is a rancher that works hard to provide for his family. He often jokingly teases her work in the garden as well as compliments and praises her efforts with the chrysanthemums. Hi...

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

10. The Chrysanthemums

... in this field of work. Her description seem to lack feminine aspects, to the contrary, she is described with the use of masculine words such as "heavy", and "man's black hat". The chrysanthemums themselves represent a large symbolic aspect of the entire story. The reader is given a sense from the beginning that these chrysanthemums are in fact an embodiment of Eliza repressed feelings, which gives way to eternal ... struggles with her identity. When the stranger shows interest in her chrysanthemums, one can clearly see a change in her attitude. When the stranger begins to inquire about ...

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