Essay on Symbolism in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" is a story that is full of symbolism. After the first read, it might seem like an innocent tale about a woman and her garden. However, upon further examination, the reader learns it is actually a story about a woman's desires and frustrations in her life. Steinbeck uses many examples, such as the flowers to symbolize the thoughts and ideas of the main character, Elisa, in this story. Elisa Allen is a lonesome woman who gets pleasure from growing

wrote that John Steinbeck uses “the flower as the title for both realistic and symbolic purposes” (230). In my summary I use the symbol to be Elisa as a woman. I also use the flowers to represent the symbolism for the children she did not have. The student wrote “the chrysanthemums advance the plot because they are the basis for the story’s central action” (230). In my summary I did not even mention the plot, I only wrote examples of the symbol of the story. I wrote that the Chrysanthemums symbolize

Symbolism in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck "The Chrysanthemums", one of John Steinbeck's masterpieces, describes a lonely farmer's wife, Elisa Allen. Elisa Allen's physical appearance is very mannish yet still allows a hint of a feminine side to peek through. John Steinbeck brings symbolism into play to represent Elisa Allen's frustrations and hidden passions. Isolation is another representation through symbolism found in "The Chrysanthemums." Elisa's failing detached marriage is represented

The story “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck is my story of choice. From reading this story I easily understood that the central symbol is Chrysanthemums. This was chosen as the central symbol to help readers understand what the story is about and to be able to understand and feel how emotional it is to be put in the shoes of Elisa Allen. Elisa Allen is the main character in this story she is a hardworking and intelligent woman who lives an unhappy life and she also feels as if it is unfulfilled

The short story, “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck, is based on a farmer’s lonely wife, Elisa Allen, who hides her femininity and disappointments of her marriage by tending to her beautiful garden of chrysanthemums. Since her garden is her pride and joy, John Steinbeck made Elisa’s chrysanthemums the most important aspect of the story. The chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa as a woman- her femininity, her happiness, her sexuality, and her desire to be wanted. In the beginning of the story, Elisa

Symbolism in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck At first glance John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums' seems to be a story of a woman whose niche is in the garden. Upon deeper inspection, the story reveals strong symbolisms of children, vulnerability, and connection--being the most important, of the main character. Elisa Allen is the main character who is at her strongest and most proud in the garden and weakened when she becomes vulnerable and loses her connection to the outer world

Comparing and Contrasting Steinbeck John Steinbeck is a famous author known for many of his short stories, as well as the books Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. His works have been studied and analyzed often because of his unique ability to create symbolism from small amounts of text. “The Chrysanthemums” is a short story written by John Steinbeck, and was first published in 1939. It tells the story of a woman who feels she is capable of completing any task a man can, but is set back by

Often times flowers have shown symbolism in different literary pieces. In John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”, the protagonist, Elisa’s loneliness and confinement are represented by the fenced in garden and growth of her chrysanthemums. To begin “The Chrysanthemums”, is about a woman named Elisa who lives on a farm with her husband. Throughout the entire story, it is evident that she feels lonely and trapped. This is expressed through the symbolism of chrysanthemums.

“Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck was written in 1937 when the transition of women from typical housewife standards to the working world was occurring. Steinbeck’s feature character, Elisa, an atypical woman with a love for gardening, embodies the pressures that women face from society when they attempt to express themselves in ways that go against societal standards. In “Chrysanthemums,” Steinbeck uses symbolism to reveal how societal standards cause women to miss out on opportunities and become

John Steinbeck’s, The Chrysanthemums, was published in 1938 in a book of short stories, entitled The Long Valley. The Chrysanthemums has been a rather powerful draw for scholars because of its wide gap for interpretations and analysis of its main protagonist character, Elisa Allen and also the unique descriptions used to portray the deeper meaning behind the setting of the story. Themes of sexuality, oppression of women, as well as other numerous types of conflict portrayed in this rather somber