The Chrysanthemums
John Steinbeck’s short story The Chrysanthemums shows Elisa Allen, a strong, capable, childless woman of thirty-five who is frustrated with her present life with her husband, Henry, a man of unscrupulous confidence (French 83). She “longs for what women’s magazines vaguely call romance” (Segal 215), and is “a woman who has a strength of will usually identified with men, as well as an ambiguous combination of traditionally masculine and feminine traits” (Hughes 59). Through symbolism Steinbeck shows how Elisa struggles to fulfill her personal, social, and sexual needs as a woman in a world dominated by men.The story opens by describing a “high gray flannel fog of winter [that] closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from the rest of the world.” This image represents Elisa’s depression, boredom, and lack of change in her life. The heavy fog is further described as making the valley appear as a “closed pot,” which is in relation to Elisa’s emotions and how she keeps them to herself and keeps them inside. Elisa’s frustration to conform to a woman’s role is evident when she is first introduced. She is described as “blocked and heavy” because she is wearing heavy gloves, heavy shoes, a “ma
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Salinas Valley, Henry Hughes, Fiction Revisited, Elisa Allen, Steinbeck Elisa, Twayne Publishers, John Steinbecks, Writing Process, hughes 61, Segal David, hughes 60, Prentice Hall, segal 215, french warren john, french warren, twayne publishers, life husband, passing tinker, frustrated life, elisas frustration, warren john,
Approximate Word count = 984
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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