The Long Valley

surface by using the symbols of the chrysanthemums and the Salinas Valley as representations of different feelings and emotions in Elisa’s life. In John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”, the chrysanthemums themselves represent Elisa and

feature a long opening that describes the setting, which is entirely different although they were written about the same time. Steinbeck begins the story with a description of a secluded village in the Salinas Valley, California. It is compared to a closed pot as the fog covers the valley from the sky, "On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot". It is written in a very dull tone, as the opening does not suggest any joy in the valley. It also

her husband’s foothill ranch. In the short story, it is found, “On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot” (“John Steinbeck The Chrysanthemums”). In this quote from the story, John Steinbeck describes how the foothill ranch is isolated geographically and it foreshadows how the main character Elisa Allen feels. The valley is compared to Elisa’s life and how it is a life bound to solitary and loneliness. Elisa Allen often found herself with no company and

“The Chrysanthemums” is a short story written by John Steinbeck. The story was originally published in 1937 before later being released as a part of his The Long Valley collection. This is an important story as it expresses women in a way that is more realistic, showing their true boredom, ambition, and capabilities. Some scholars interpreted this story differently, but C. Kenneth Pellow interprets it as “radically feministic.” The Great Depression was finally ending and women’s rights were rising

influenced their everyday life. Steinbeck uses those three adjectives to show just how the women of the 30’s were treated and looked at by men and society. In the story “Chrysanthemums”, Steinbeck introduces Elisa, the wife of a farmer in the Salinas Valley in California, as a woman who is about her work and is very dedicated to her garden of chrysanthemums. Women even today, although to a lower degree, are seen as the weaker sex and are supposed to be homemakers

This description of the Salina Valley is closely related to her character. Elisa's isolation and constraint is represented by the description of the valley. Elisa feels cut off from the rest of the world; she has no independence, and lives in a male dominated society. The valley being described as a, "closed pot" can also be considered a metaphor for Elisa's existence, she knows how the rest of her life

and be more independent with their lives. One of John Steinbeck’s most accomplished short stories, “The Chrysanthemums,” a story which concerns a married couple and examines Elisa’s dissatisfaction with her life. The story takes place in the Salinas Valley of California in December at Henry Allen’s ranch in the foothills. Elisa is a woman whose life is narrow, unexciting and limited in what she can become by geography and opportunity. She is feeling trapped in a life of servitude and is suppressing

“The Chrysanthemums” is a short story written by John Steinbeck. It was originally published in 1937 before later being released as a part of his The Long Valley collection. This is an important story as it expresses women in a way that is more realistic, showing their true boredom, ambition, and capabilities. The story begins describing Salinas Valley as a whole, covered by a thick layer of fog. The story then zooms in on Elisa, a middle aged woman in men's clothing, working passionately in her garden

The Unfulfilled Elisa in John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums “The Chrysanthemums” is a short story in The Long Valley, a collection of short stories by John Steinbeck. This story dramatizes the efforts made by a housewife, Elisa Allen, to compensate for the disappointments which she has encountered in her life. Steinbeck makes it clear that Elisa yearns for something more in her life then the everyday routines of farm life. While Elisa is portrayed as strong, in the end, her strength serves

print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets (Steinbeck 1463)." Steinbeck, by allowing the dress to be seen, is showing the readers Elisa passion that long to be unbridled. The manly gloves that she wore to protect her hands show that she still wants to be a women yet long for the adventure a man's life contains. Clothing was not the only symbol of repression in John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums." There are many symbolic references to Elisa Allen as a sexually