Chrysanthemums

A detailed Summary of Chrysanthemums


In John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums", the chrysanthemums

represent the soul of every woman. Elisa Allen represents the feminine ideal of equality and its inevitable defeat from a male's perspective. Together the chrysanthemums and Elisa Allen convey the Woman Rights Movement; just as Elisa Allen lives her limited life that is cut off from all social and sexual pleasure and so did women.

Elisa Allen tends to an amazing garden of chrysanthemums. Both the chrysanthemums and Elisa are closed off by the surrounding towns by "the high grey flannel fog" (246) but also cut off to the neighbors by "the wire fence" (247). Elisa tends extra special care to the flowers, making them stronger and stronger; she also keeps them from intruding pest such as the "aphids, "sowbugs", "snail", or "cutworms" (247), because only one could destroy the whole crop. Her husband isn't so concerned about the garden. He acknowledges the fact that she's "got a gift with things" (247), but wishes she'd "work out in the orchard," (247) this implies that her garden is not productive but the orchard is. She replies with "Maybe I could do it too" (247), which shows she can do more, but she's not going


John Steinbeck shows the emotional side of women by using the business deal made with the peddler. Who offers her his services. Elisa is a strong women who doesn't need a man's help, so she declines. The peddler then pretends to find admiration for her chrysanthemums and describes them as a "quick puff of colored smoke" (249), unlike Henry who finds them unproductive. Peddler then tells her of another woman that he knows that "has the nicest garden you have ever seen" (249), the only thing is that she doesn't have any chrysanthemums. He then reveals that she wanted them from seed. Elisa grows alert and then reveals her secrets to the peddler to educate the other gardener about how to raise the chrysanthemums. Trusting the man since he has such admiration for the flowers, she comes out of her shell and reveals her female nature as she tears her "battered hat" and shook out her dark pretty hair"(250). She begins to get so worked up while she tells him her secrets that, "her breast swelled up passionately" (250).

John Steinbeck uses Elisa Allen to represent the stereotypical male's perspective of women. He shows that although women are handy around the house and can be very be

Some common words found in the essay are:
John Steinbeck, Elisa Allen, Henry Henry, John Steinbeck's, elisa allen, chrysanthemums elisa, , flower pot, inevitable defeat, john steinbeck, male's perspective, chrysanthemums chrysanthemums,

Approximate Word count = 806
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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