Chrysanthemums and Its Symbolism

A detailed Summary of Chrysanthemums and Its Symbolism


"The Chrysanthemums" and Its Symbolism

John Steinbeck uses symbolism to give alternate meanings to his short story "Chrysanthemums." A symbol is a device used to suggest more than its literary meaning. He uses these symbols to look further into the characters and their situations. The character Elisa has a garden, which is more than just a garden, and the chrysanthemums that she tends are more than just flowers. There are actions that she performs in the story, which also have other meanings.

Elisa is a country housewife. She is semi-distant from her husband and greatly distant from the world around her. She is a homebody, meaning that she rarely leaves the boundaries of her home and she has a lot of time and energy being built up. She uses some of this energy to clean up her house, but most of it is spent on her flower garden. Her garden is a place of solitude. It's her own little world where she can let herself go and be the person that s


The chrysanthemums are also seen as a symbol for her heart. Her existence seemed drab, dull and inevitable. She wanted to travel the world but she knew that she should not leave her husband. She felt that her husband wasn't taken enough care of her personally so she took care of herself in the form of her chrysanthemums. She meticulously trimmed them and transplanted them with intense care. The type of care that she felt was missing form her marriage. Later on in the story when she gives the

Another element found in the story is her bath. This is not only the cleansing of her physical body but of her internal being as well. She has always been dressed in a masculine fashion. In a way, she wanted equality. She wanted the same respect that men had. After the tinkerer came and left, she knew that she was a woman and realized that she didn't need to be masculine to gain respect. She also realized that she needed to be more feminine. "In

Some common words found in the essay are:
John Steinbeck, Chrysanthemums Symbolism, story chrysanthemums, chrysanthemums symbolism, garden chrysanthemums, garden garden, short story,

Approximate Word count = 644
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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