The Chrysanthemums Theme Essay

1. In "The Chrysanthemums," the interaction between Elisa and the traveling repairman helps develop the story's theme about taking risks. Describe their interaction and explain how it helps to develop the story's theme. Be sure to use specific details from the text to support your ideas. (10 points)

Being a farmer’s wife, and living in the middle of practically nowhere in California, her social activity is limited and spends a lot of her time either working, alone, or waiting for her husband to finish working in the fields himself. Her chrysanthemum garden provides a kind of outlet for her to have fun, and also be involved in something besides work. Her passionate side is shown here, “What’s them plants, ma’am?” The irritation and resistance melted from Elisa’s face. “Oh those are chrysanthemums...”

Elisa, the main character in “The Chrysanthemums,” appears to be bored with her current lifestyle, which becomes apparent when she constantly inquirers about “the fights” that not many women attend (Steinbeck). Additionally, her boredom becomes even clearer when “the very big man” confronts Elisa for directions. At first, Elisa shows the man her usual tired, not-very-interested personality. However, once the man asks about her chrysanthemums, something that she adores, she immediately becomes alert and interested in the conversation. It appears that Elisa wasn’t used to feeling this “happiness” when she “shook herself free and looked about to see whether anyone had been listening (Steinbeck).” Furthermore, it becomes obvious that she is generally unhappy with her life when she and her husband are driving to the movies. After again asking her husband about the fights and hearing his response, she breaks down into tears

In the short story "The Chrysanthemums", the main character Elisa Allen is a strong, childless, 35-year-old woman who is residing info Salinas Valley. Readers also met her husband who informs Elisa that after he is done with work they will celebrate him selling thirty calves at the restaurant in town. Elisa is then left alone, as she is a homemaker who has very little to do. Her only outlets in life are her husband, the house, and some flowers within her garden. These prized flowers of Elisa Allen are chrysanthemums.

Elisa’s favorite hobby is gardening. I realized that’s the only thing she loves doing, which makes her happy. Her favorite flower is the chrysanthemums, thus the title of the story. Mr. Steinbeck, illustrates this woman in masculine terms, yet he makes it known that she’s a woman. Although it’s not mentioned or said in an obvious way, it’s easy to presume that Elisa isn’t happy within her life or marriage outside of gardening. Several attributes that Elisa has, helped me come to this conclusion: her insecurities, being naïve and seemingly frustrated in the

Elisa pays close attention to the chrysanthemums. She does not give the bugs a chance to infest and destroy all the hard work and time she invested. Elisa protects the mums from harm with her fingers. She uses the mums to define her beauty and

In John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”, the chrysanthemums themselves represent Elisa and

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

(Evans, Robert C.) She is described as a thirty-five-year-old woman whose face is lean and strong with eyes clear as water. She wears a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, and a dress that is completely covered by a big corduroy apron. This description of Elisa suggests that

Elisa’s actions and feelings towards the flowers who how they are a replacement for her children. Even when the chrysanthemums symbolize her children, later in the story we see how they show Elisa’s femininity and sexuality. At the end of the story, when she pulls

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.

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.

Along with some sights of the depression creeping up. The setting also shows that Elisa is a honest, hard working, and caring person. Elisa goes and tends to her flowers everyday and makes sure they are healthy, she cares for her flowers and loves them. When the traveler asks her for one of her chrysanthemums to give to one of his customers, she does so. When she does this she tells

“The Chrysanthemums” is about Elisa Allen, a woman that works in a flower garden tending to her chrysanthemums. She works on a ranch with her husband, Henry. She is a very strong woman with strong, tender hands. A mysterious man in his wagon approaches her house. He comes up to Elisa asking her if she has anything for him to fix like pots, knives, or scissors. He asks her because he needs money for dinner. Then, he asks Elisa about her flowers, and she happily tells him about their color, size, and unique smell. The man complimented her work and flowers. He tells Elisa he knows a woman with a beautiful garden, and she was looking for chrysanthemums to add to her garden. Elisa explains how to care for the flowers and to make them grow to the

He first appears in a, “worn black suit [...] wrinkled and spotted with grease (421).” His unrefined appearance reveals the uncleanliness of sex and the damage it can do on one’s self. As he pulls up to Elisa’s estate in a, “loose-jointed wagon (421),” it is apparent that he is disoriented. Symbolism is even shown in the tinkers,”rangy dog (421),” for it is unclean and rampant just how Elisa perceives the act of sex. Everything that comes along with the tinker seems to be impure in some way. He even wears a, “battered hat (422),” which again, shows the tattered nature of sex. When conversing with the tinker, Elisas “breast swelled passionately (423),” for she has some sort of sexual awakening. Elisa even crouches low for the tinkler “like a fawning dog (423),” because she is so deeply sexually repressed. Elisa even feels “hot and sharp and lovely (423)” which sounds quite comparable to descriptions of sex. Later in this scene, while talking about the chrysanthemums, Elisa throws her head “back her eyes half-closed (424),” which uncoincidentally, is similar to orgasm. As the tinker drives away, “there’s a glowing (424)” coming from the tinker. The societal belief that people glow after sex leads to the conclusion that the tinker and Elisa have partaken in a psychological sex act. After this sexual conversation with the tinker Elisa’s “face [is] ashamed (424)” for she aware is of the immoral deed she has just