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John Steinbeck s short story, The Chrysanthemums, written in the late 1930 s focuses on the central theme of feminism and how women are bound by society. One may note that this story was written right around the time that the country was recovering from the Great Depression, and women s rights were a hot political topic. In The Chrysanthemums, Steinbeck portrayed the struggle for equality through the protagonist of the story, Elisa Allen. Elisa, wife to rancher Henry Allen is described in the story to be a woman of her mid thirties, with a figure said to be blocked and heavy, referring to her heavy gloves and shoes she wore to work in the garden.
When reading the story, one may gather that it is about a woman whose niche is in the garden, however there is a much deeper meaning that lies beneath; A meaning that demonstrates that the antagonist is something aside from her husband or the stranger, it is the male dominated society as a whole. Strong notes of feminism are revealed in Elisa s actions and feelings while reading of her struggle to try and define her masculinity in this male dominated society. The Chrysanthemums displays a strong, capable woman kept from personal, social, and sexual fulfillment due to the prevailing consumption of a woman s role in a world dominated by men. There are many crises throughout the story that illustrate and support the prevailing consumption. The Chrysanthemums that Elisa gardens, are her strength and pride. They represent several different symbolic foreshadowings in Elisa s life.
For example, Steinbeck states, she took off a glove and put her strong fingers down into the forest of new green chrysanthemum sprouts that were growing around the old roots. This suggests foreshadow and illustrates how she is contemplating a new direction in her life. She is looking for a change in her lifestyle. The way that Elisa s flower garden is fenced off and closed in depicts her heart and how it is rarely opened, always protected, and not quick to let many people into her life, like isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. The story s setting is in Salinas Valley, California, along the countryside, on a winter day in December. The story does have quite a modern setting, as we conclude from Steinbeck because he speaks of how the rancher / husband , Henry and two other business men are gathered around a small Fordson tractor, discussing the buying and selling of the thirty head of three year old steer.
Elisa sees these men while she is preparing for her new season of Chrysanthemums. Henry later tells her that the two men were from a meat market and he has sold the cattle for nearly his own price. He asks if she would like to go to dinner and a movie, perhaps a fight, later tonight to celebrate. She accepts the invite to dinner and the movie, but denies the fight. This is one of the many instances in which the limited omniscient point of view is made completely obvious. Throughout the whole story, one can tell that Steinbeck s intent was for the reader to see the occurrences through the story of Elisa and try to understand her struggle for feminist equality.
After Elisa s conversation with Henry, a stranger in a wagon comes wandering up the cross road, off of the highway. He is looking for business and asks Elisa if she has any scissors or knives to be sharpened or pots and pans to be mended. Elisa tells him she has no work for him, and tries to treat him such as a man would treat any businessman, but she begins to soften up after he took interest in her Chrysanthemums. He fed her a line saying something about how a customer of his always wanted some Chrysanthemums and would she please give him some to take to her. Elisa, trying to portray more masculine efforts, consciously reverts to those of femininity, by opening her self up for what she later finds to be disappointment. She finds herself attracted to this man because of the sense of adventure and freedom that he has.
When he leaves, she finds herself to be a transformed woman. She goes inside to begin to get ready for her evening with Henry, and unconsciously withdraws herself back to her feminine side by wearing her best undergarments and applying makeup. By doing these things, she is accentuating herself as a woman, and doing so because someone has been interested in what she considers to be her strong point, thus making her happy. After she is ready, she is pleased with the way she looks and Henry comments to her that she looks nice. She takes nice quite harshly because of what she is feeling, therefore he replaces the word nice with the words strong and happy.
She seems satisfied by this and makes a statement referring to how she is stronger than ever. By this statement, is her interpretation that she is not any more a masculine equal, but an asset in her femininity? In the final paragraphs of the story, the climax is revealed. As Elisa and Henry are on their way into town, her strength quickly depletes as she sees something on the side of the road. The reader is to interpret that these are the Chrysanthemums and after Steinbeck states that she sees the wagon ahead, the reader has better knowledge of this. She instantly feels weak, betrayed, and feminine, like how dare she let someone in and he throw her heart away; her pride and joy destroyed all for a strangers lie.
She suffers regression from the masculine role she sees as equality to the feminine role she views as submissive. She now realizes her place in society; she can never live up to the expectations she places on herself and begins to let go of her dreams for what she one day knew society expected her to be, a passive woman. In conclusion, the reader is able to tell that Elisa has no desire to be strong anymore. She relates the way she feels in several symbolic ways. One was by asking Henry if women ever go to those fights, and the others were when she turned her face from him, said it will be enough for her if they can have wine at dinner, and then when she began to cry weakly, like an old woman.
Free research essays on topics related to: story one, male dominated society, chrysanthemums, elisa, steinbeck
Research essay sample on Male Dominated Society Story One
