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How Does Elisa Allen Cause A Loss Of Gender Identity

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Elisa Allen is dissatisfied with the gender inequality between her and Henry Allen, her husband, leading to her abject loneliness. Through Elisa Allen, John Steinbeck is reminding his audience that treating other human beings as inferior ultimately causes a loss of gender identity. Elisa Allen is treated as an inferior being by her husband because she is a woman. Henry works out in the field with the other men, leaving Elisa to work in the house; she has no choice in the matter. She watches him “talking to two men in business suits. The three of them stood by… smoked cigarettes and studied the machine as they talked.” Because of this rejection from the male-dominated society, Elisa begins to find her identity more in masculine things. In the opening scene she is dressed in an ambiguous “gardening costume, a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets to hold the snips, the trowel and scratcher…”. She is unconsciously trying to find acceptance and be able to make an impact on the world, but she is frustrated by society’s acceptance of males …show more content…

The man tells Elisa that her neighbor desires to grow chrysanthemums, just like Elisa does. Because of this, Elisa realizes that perhaps she can make a name for herself just by doing women’s work. Even the men depend on a woman to cook and clean for them - Elisa begins to understand her own importance. She bathes meticulously, in order to look prettier and more feminine. She even dresses in “her newest underclothing and her nicest stockings and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness. She worked carefully on her hair, penciled in her eyebrows and rouged her lips.”. However, her newfound confidence would soon

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