the chrysanthemums Essay -- essays research papers

The Chrysanthemums by John SteinbeckThe short story The Chrysanthemums shows how extraordinarily forward persuasion the author, John Steinbeck, was in his understanding of the pressures that women dealt with in his time. Through the exploration and illustration of womens emotions, Steinbeck gives us a view into the struggle of women in the early twentieth century to find a place for themselves in society as well as establishing their own sexuality(Charters, 502). The story starts out with the description of a colorise fog over the place where the story is set. The significance of this is to set the mood of the story. It also is a possible representation of how the main character of the story, Elisa Allen, feels active her life. Elisa is first introduced working in the garden planting her flowers, and while doing so looks up to see her husband talking to two men in suits. She later asked him who they were and he said that he sold them some steers and got nearly my own price, too(The Chrysanthemums, 2). This shows the fact that all the business of the family was handled by the man, and that in general womens inputs were not considered, if they were ever given. However Elisa is by no means a woman who is unable to do things herself, Steinbeck makes a point to nurture that The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy. In the narration and description of Elisas garden and her chrysanthemums are ...