"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 through two symbols. The two reoccurring symbols are the chrysanthemums and fences. John Steinbeck draws pity from the reader for Elisa Allen who desperately wishes to experience the passions of a fulfilling marriage and the stimulation of a man's life. Through symbolism in "The Chrysanthemums," John Steinbeck creates a sexually repressed and discouraged Elisa Allen who is isolated from society however still retaining their values and is also trapped in a fruitless marriage.

Elisa Allen and her repressed sexuality are introduced to the readers through a manly appearance with a small clue of a womanly figure making an effort to peer through. This suppressed sexuality will eventually symbolically emerge. Elisa's symbolic clothing sho

Steinbeck, John. "The Chrysanthemums". The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. R.V Cassill and Richard Bausch. New York: W.W. Norton andCompany, 2000. 1462-1470.

Pittman, Wendy. Elisa's Unfulfilled Desire. 9 July 1998. Online. Internet. 29 November 2000. Available http://spectrum.troyst.edu/~rqray/english/wendy.htm

ig 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."

Kassim, Elizabeth. Symbolism in "The Chrysanthemums". Online. Internet. 29 November 2000. Available http://wwwnhc.nhmccd.cc.tx.us/public/clh/eng/ composit/critanal/c953.html

Dickman, Denise. John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums": A Woman Bound by Society. 30 March 1997. Online. Internet. 29 November 2000. Available http://wwwnhc.cc.tx.us/public/clh/eng/composit/critanal/22anal.htm

ahs failed to produce children and the chrysanthemums have come to be Elisa's children.

closed pot (Steinbeck 1462)." The symbolism of the fog creating a pot that encloses Elisa in her own little, remote world is Steinbeck's way of showing the reader Elisa as she really is. A lonely farmer's wife with only flowers to give her love who longs for a companion who will return the affection and passion that Elisa must restrain in her marriage for fear of breaking societies norms. The fences is a reoccurring symbol with two implied meanings, one being isolation. This fence not only separates her world as a woman from the world of a man but also protects her from any outside influences that may unleash her passion (Lee 1). Elisa did not abandon the protection of the fence until after the Tinker's entrance had violated and penetrated the sanctity it represented and awakened her slumbering passions. "Elisa stood in front of her wire fence watching the slow progression of the caravan (Steinbeck 1468)." Once her eyes were open to the outside world Elisa felt suffocated and!

smothered in her self-made haven. Not only did she feel stifled but also felt guilt due to her uninhibited release of her passions. "She tore off her soiled clothes and then she scrubbed herself with a little block of pumice until her skin was scratched and red (Steinbeck 1468)." She would not have thought of this encounter with the Tinker as a sin if society had not brainwashed her at an early age. Society made her believe that to feel alive with a person other than your spouse, for a woman at least, is an unforgivable sin.

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Approximate Word count = 1844
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)