John Steinbeck's "Chrysanthemums"

Most critics who analyze John Steinbeck's short story, Chrysanthemums, from The Long Valley (1938) collection, feel Elisa's flowers represent her repressed sexuality, her anger and resentment towards men, and her reaction to life's disappointments. Some critics even push the symbolism of the flowers, and Elisa's "manly" actions, to suggest she is incapable of fulfilling a true relationship between herself and another, i.e., her "manly" traits, and her chrysanthemums are enough to fulfill her entirely. This paper will discuss an opposing viewpoint to this usual body of criticism and analysis. Instead, it will argue that Elisa's chrysanthemums, and her "manly" qualities, have been manifested, in fact, are natural manifestations, of a male dominated world. Pertinent examples from Chrysanthemums will be given in an attempt to illustrate that Elisa's character qualities, and gardening skills, are the survival traits she's adopted in order to survive, and keep her femininity and vulnerability, in a "man's" world.

The first evidence that supports this conclusion is the behavior which occurs between Elisa and her husband, Henry. They are "successful" farmers, but it is Henry who tends the economic production. The opening sets up a great character contrast which runs throughout the piece - that of the differences between a man's and a woman's perspective of each other - by showing Henry selling thirty head of beef, while Elisa grows "beautiful" chrysanthemums. Here we see a l

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aken advantage of by a man who may not be well-rounded in human nature, but who certainly knows how to use people. The salesman tells Elisa she grows flowers much better than a woman he knows who grows the same flowers, i.e., she is more fertile and abundant. This is where Elisa softens and succumbs to finding the man some improvised repair work, and to his charms. The difference with this situation is that Elisa, being a woman, is not even aware that this comparison and contrast game is just another game men use to take advantage of and limit women to their viewpoint. The salesman knows telling a woman she is better than other women will always warm her. Indeed, if Elisa is so cold, as critics contend, could the normal verbal persuasions of someone she is already cautious of, melt her heart? Even Stoddard Martin, in his book California Writers: The Tough Guys, tells of Elisa's "penchant for an ideal through her admiration of the stranger." (1983: 12). Could anyone as cold as critics contend Elisa is still have such hope for an ideal? The salesman melts Elisa's exterior of protection, but she melts because she takes his praise to be sincerely felt and deeply meant, when it is just another of his sales tricks, i.e., a fabr

Category: Literature - J