My Interpretation of the Chrysanthemums

My Interpretation of The Chrysanthemums The Chrysanthemums is one of John Steinbecks favourite short stories. The Chrysanthemums represents inequality of gender, limitations, and feminism. The story is ab come in a married char living in the early 1900s who longs for a much exciting, meaningful existence. enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay Allen is in heraldigent, accomplished, attractive, and ambitious. Yet she feels confined in her life and marriage. Steinbeck uses the world around enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay to give the lector a comparison to her life. The story takes place in the Salinas V anyey at her maintain, total heat Allens, ranch in the foot-hills.Steinbeck opens the story up by describing to us how the fog closes off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from the remain of the world. The eminent grey-flannel fog of winter closed of the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world (438). This comparison shows how enzyme-link ed-immunosorbent serologic assay feels inside. Even her house compargons to a prison. Behind her stood the neat white farmhouse with red geraniums close-banked around it as spunky as the windows (439). enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay spends most of her days alone, behind her wire fence. She feels clipping off from ordination.enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assays husband works as a victorious rancher exactly doesnt involve the smart and hobbyed enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay with the military control of the ranch. In his eyes she belongs in the house or the garden. They dont have an intimate relationship and it lacks any kind of ro valet de chambrece. In the ancestor of the story, she observees from a distance behind the wire fence as her husband talks with the men in suits but Henry does not see her over. enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay wants to travel and be free to do as she pleases but is suppressed by family because of her g ender. She becomes intrigued when she meets a traveling repair existence by his appearance of life.When Elisa expresses interest to him about his life, It must be really nice. I wish women could do such things. The wanderer tells her, It aint the right kind of life for a char (445). Elisa feels a little off- regulate by his response and tries to argue with him. Elisa asks How do you have a go at it? How can you tell? He protests I dont see maam, of course I dont know (445). We are given the impression of strength and capability in Elisa. We can tell Elisas a good nurturer because of the way she tends her garden and keeps a clean organized home.Her chrysanthemums are the biggest healthiest chrysanthemums around. Despite all that she has no children. Elisa puts all of her motherly energy into her flowers to fill the void of childlessness. Henry makes the mastery to Elisa how she could make anything grow. Youve got a gift with things, rough of those yellow chrysanthemums you h ad this grade were ten inches across. I wish youd work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big (439). I believe this represents Elisas fertility and Henrys lack thereof. Steinbeck describes Elisas clothing in the beginning of the story as masculine. A mans black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes, a figured print dress most completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets to die hard the snips, the trowel and scratcher, the seeds and the knife she worked with. She wore heavy leather gloves to protect her hands charm she worked (438-439). This description reflects her lack of sexuality. Shortly after she meets the traveler she begins to shed some of these items, like the gloves and hat. At first she feels irritated by the insistency of the man because she had no need for someone to repair her pots or sharpen her scissors.Her military position changes toward him when he expresses interest in her flowers. The thought of her chrysanthemum s shared with another severalise of the world makes Elisa feel like a little originate of her might escape. Her demeanor suddenly changes. He makes her feel intellectually and physically stimulated. Her effeminate sexuality awakens. She turns the conversation of the chrysanthemums into something sexual. When the night is dark-why, the stars are sharp-pointed, and theres quiet. Why, you rise up and up Every pointed star gets driven into your body.Its like that. Hot and sharp and lovely (444). She completely surrenders herself to him as manifested by her kneeling before him like a fawning dog as she hands him the chrysanthemum shoots. But despite all that, the traveler holds no interest in her or her flowers. This symbolizes familys rejection of women in the workforce no matter their talents. Elisa has hope of a more interesting life. She takes picky care in dressing for dinner. She stares at herself naked in the mirror. She pokes her federal agency out and tightens her stomach. She puts on sexy lingerie and a dress that brings out her beauty. She puts make-up on. By Elisa looking more like a beautiful sexy charr, she is stepping into her femininity. When Henry gets home and starts dressing for dinner Elisa nervously waits on the porch for a reaction on her appearance from her cold husband. She looked toward the river road where the willow-line was still yellow with frosted leaves so that under the high grey fog they seemed a thin band of sunshine (447). sunniness symbolizes happiness, shes slightly hopeful for some happiness in her life.When Henry walks out onto the porch he feels off-put by her appearance. She fishes for a complement. Henry tells her she looks strong and she comments hindquarters to him I am strong. I never knew before how strong (447). in the beginning they leave Elisa goes into the house and takes extra care in put on her hat and her coat, which I conjecture is interesting because she doesnt put on gloves so there is still a feeli ng of feminine sexuality there. She isnt hiding herself like in the beginning of the story. As Elisa and Henry drive to town she sees a black touching in the road.She immediately knows what it is, her chrysanthemum shoots she had given the traveler. He tossed them out on the road. She feels betrayed by this man. He didnt care about her flowers, he only wanted her money. Her hope dwindles. Elisa starts to step back into herself. This act symbolizes how society deems charhood as unimportant just as how the traveler sees her flowers as unimportant. She and so asks her husband if they could have wine with their dinner. She tries to satisfy some of her needs by dint of this small act of abnormality. She then asks her husband about going to watch the men fight.Henry says he will take her but doesnt think that she will like it and was unaware that she was interested in such things. Elisa asks if any women go to the fights, Henry tells her there are some that go. Elisa changes her min d because she understands that it is not acceptable for a lady in those generation to watch such things. Now she could have gone to the fights, of course, but revere holds her back. I believe in that moment she loses hope for a brighter, more exciting existence. She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was cryingweakly like and old woman (448).Notice how she covers her body again. I think the assumption can be make by the last sentence in the story that Elisas life doesnt become what she subconsciously hoped. She realizes her closed off, uneventful, lonesome way of living will continue. She grows old with this same unsatisfactory life, no children, passion, or exploration. The Chrysanthemums is an interesting story because it was published in 1937 when a married womans only place in society was at home, except it is unashamedly written in the point of view of the woman.This story was guardedly written by Steinbeck so we as readers dont castigate her for her ac tions. We could have felt that she was betraying her husband in a way by flirting with the wanderer. Instead we sympathize with her and understand her feelings, and why she does the things she does and feels the way she feels. It is almost like John Steinbeck could see into the future and what was to come. Did he see societys unequal treatment of women and men? Did he feel that it was damage to treat women as if they had no other use in society?I believe he did. He uses this story to show the society of that time the inequality of men and women, and the way it makes a woman feel. The reader reads this story and doesnt even realize that what they are feeling is clemency for Elisa Allen because of limitations that are set on her and every other woman at that time. This story could have been a very strong governmental tool in its time for feminism. Bibliography Steinbeck, John The Chrysanthemums The Seagull Reader Stories. Ed. Joseph Kelly. second ed. New York W. W. Norton, 2008. 43 7-448. Print