NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Womens Role in Steinbeck's Novels John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in the Salinas Valley in California. This is also the setting for most of his early works in the 1930 s. It is two of these works The Chrysanthemums and The White Quail that I will focus on when explaining the role of women in Steinbeck's novels during this period. The women in The Chrysanthemums and The White Quail are used to show the reader the inner strength, frustration and antagonism of women in the 1930 s who will never realize their full potential.
Elisa Allen in The Chrysanthemums and Mary Teller in The White Quail use Mother Nature for their inner strength. Elisa demonstrates this in a conversation with her husband about her chrysanthemums. Youve got a gift with things, Henry observed. Some of those yellow chrysanthemums you had this year were ten inches across. I wish youd work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big. Her eyes sharpened.
Maybe I could do it, too. Ive a gift with things, all right (Steinbeck 5). In this instance you get the feeling that Alisa feels extremely confident in her abilities to work with all things that are planted and that there is nothing she cant grow if only she put her mind to it. This sense of self worth is further amplified when Elisa asks the tinker Did you ever hear of planting hands?
Cant say I have, maam. Well, I can only tell you what it feels like. Its when youre picking off the buds you dont want. Everything goes right down into your fingertips. You watch your fingers work.
They do it themselves. You can feel how it is. They pick the buds. They never make a mistake. You can feel it. When youre like that you cant do anything wrong.
Do you see that? Can you understand that? (12). It is at this moment that the reader should realize that Elisa derives her inner strength from her ability to bond with Mother Nature and grow her chrysanthemums. Similarly, Mary Teller in The White Quail identifies and derives her strength from Mother Nature through her garden.
The garden is a part of Mary and she makes this very clear when she tells her husband Well, you see Ive thought about it so long that its part of me. If anything should be changed it would be like part of me being torn out (24). Both women identify with and derive strength from things that Mother Nature offers. The frustration that I speak of is derived from the women being in failed marriages. To further clarify this I mean marriages that lack communication, praise and love. The similarity of both women in a failed marriage is unmistakable, but this is where the similarity stops.
Elisa's frustration comes from a husband who shows no sincere interest or affection towards Elisa. This is supported by the statement I wish youd work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big (5). By making this statement Henry reveals that he truly isnt interested in Elisa's hobby of growing chrysanthemums, but in her ability to make money for the farm through her gift. Elisa unknowingly realizes this and demonstrates her craving for attention during her conversation with the tinker. Kneeling there, her hand went out toward his legs in the greasy black trousers. Her hesitant fingers almost touched the cloth.
Then her hand dropped to the ground. She crouched like a fawning dog (12). This passage clearly shows the reader that Elisa just wants someone to pay attention to her and it doesnt matter who. In The White Quail the roles are reversed and it is Marys husband Harry that is the victim of a failed marriage. Harry expresses this when he tells Mary But Im afraid of you, too. She smiled quietly.
You? Afraid of me? Whats there about me you can be afraid of? Well, youre kind of untouchable. Theres an inscrutability about you.
Probably you dont even know it yourself. Youre kind of like your own garden fixed, and just so. Im afraid to move around. I might disturb some of your plants (25).
Harry gives us the first hint of the frustration he is feeling by expressing these feelings to Mary. It seems that Mary is creating the frustration in her marriage by being rigid and unfeeling of her husbands wants and needs. At one point Mary denies Harry the simple pleasure of having a dog since a dog would things on the plants of her garden, or even dig in her flower beds, how, worst of all, a dog would keep the birds away from the pool, Harry understood (31). In dealing with these frustrations the reader can recognize the antagonism that is created between the each women, their mates and the outside world. Elisa's antagonism first manifests itself when talking about her gift Oh, those are chrysanthemums, giant whites and yellows.
I raise them every year, bigger than anybody around here (10). She continues this antagonistic attitude towards the tinker when she tells him You might be surprised to have a rival some time. I can sharpen scissors, too. And I can beat the dents out of little pots. I could show you what a woman might do (13). She finally turns her antagonistic towards her husband when he tries to pay her a complement Why why, Elisa.
You look so nice? What do you mean by nice? Henry blundered on. I dont know. I mean you look different, strong and happy. I am strong?
Yes, strong. What do you mean strong (16). Elisa clearly is looking for recognition that she is important as a woman and that what she can do is important. In contrast to this is the antagonism that Mary creates. Unlike Elisa Mary is not looking to be recognized for her achievements and in fact could care less about what other people think. Her only concern is for the safety of her garden and the birds that come to visit it.
Everything and everybody is perceived as possible threats and should be guarded against. The first example of this is Mary is considering marrying Harry and she asks herself Would the garden like such a man (22)? This attitude continues on against even nature itself Thats the enemy, Mary said one time. Thats the world that wants to get in, all rough and tangled and unkempt (27). Mary became especially antagonistic toward a cat that threatened a rare white quail. In Marys mind the quail represented Mary and her very essence.
She becomes extremely agitated and begs Harry to poison the cat, but he refuses saying he will shoot it with an air gun to scare it away for good. The very thing that each women cherishes is the very same thing that is their undoing. The bond Alisa Allen and Mary Teller have with Mother Nature is unique to that woman and is the source for each womans ultimate undoing. In Elisa's case she takes such great pride in her ability to grow chrysanthemums that she becomes blind to the tinkers ruse. She craves to be recognized as an equal and thinks that the tinker actually sees her as that since he has taken an interest in her chrysanthemums. She believes this until she sees the flowers she gave him lying in the road and realizes that not only the tinker, but also the rest of the world will never see her as an equal.
This realization is made clear in the last sentence of the story She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly like an old woman (18). In Mary Tellers case it is her fanatical passion for her garden that is her undoing. The very thing she cherishes above all else is the cause for her beloved white quail being destroyed. Harry has endured years of being second fiddle to the garden to now realize he is nothing more than an outsider in his own home. In this respect Harry becomes the cat that threatens the quail. In the end Harry winds up killing the quail instead of the cat and lies to Mary about it.
Mary never realizes that he has done this and it suggests to the reader of a strong underlying emotions repressed within Harry. These emotions and the lack of emotion from his wife are taking a serious toll on Harry. This is evidenced in the final two sentences in the story when he says Im lonely, he said. Oh, Lord, Im so lonely (37)! It seems to me that John Steinbeck is trying to show us that women the 1930 s are starting to realize that there is more to life than the mere mundane routine of everyday life. They are trying to use their relationship with Mother Nature to realize their dreams of being more than they really are.
However, the world outside is unwilling to allow this to happen and this leads to frustration and antagonistic behavior in the women. In the end both women suffer because of their dreams and are harshly reminded of their place in society.
Free research essays on topics related to: elisa, mother nature, im afraid, harry, john steinbeck
Research essay sample on Mother Nature Im Afraid
