The story Chrysanthemums was published in John Steinbeck’s 1938 short story collection The Long Valley. The story takes place in Salinas Valley in California. The story examines a troubled marriage involving the character Elisa and Henry. However, the story focuses on gender power plays. In Chrysanthemums, Steinbeck responds to the educational and political theorists of the twentieth century who did not believe women have equal rights as men. In this short story, John Steinbeck uses imagery and symbolism to show the repressed qualities of the chief protagonist Elisa Ellen. Instead of viewing women as ornaments to society or property to be traded in marriage, Steinbeck maintains that they are human beings deserving of the same fundamental rights as men (Aileen, 1989). This paper aims to explore how Steinbeck uses symbolism mainly through Elisa Ellen to portray gender inequality.
For many critiques, The Chrysanthemums is an inconspicuous but sharp backlash on a society that has no place for intelligent and independent minded women. The main character Elisa, is academically adept, energetic, attractive and an enterprising person. However, because of the nature of the society, all these attributes go to waste. Ironically, the two men in the story that are morally inept and intellectually shallow realize much more fulfilling lives than Elisa’s. For example, Henry’s intelligence is not comparable to Elisa’s. Nevertheless, Henry’s success in life is unmatched to that of Elisa. Despite of Henry’s intellectual and moral flaws, he runs a successful ranch, has a stable family, and is a well-respected businessperson. Although Elisa is a far better manager than Henry, she has to bend low to him and low Henry to run the show. In this story, Steinbeck uses Henry as a representation of patriarchy in the society and a symbol of male chauvinism (Jeffrey & Luchen, 2005).
In the story, pursuit of gender equality is almost impossible to realize. The women in the story are denied every possible chance of fighting for equality with the men. The marriage institution stands for the authority that denies women a chance to forge ahead. The thwarted desire for equality is symbolized by Elisa’s clothing. After visiting the tinker, Elisa sheds her masculine persona and absorbs a more feminine look. At the outset of the story, Elisa is clad in an androgynous gardening outfit together with heavy boots, thick clothes, and a man’s hat. In fact, the narrator described Elisa as “blocked and heavy” (Steinbeck, 1938, p. 2). The first image of Elisa symbolizes the inbuilt energy hungry for equality of men and women. However, the tinker’s visits reaffirm the impracticality of the pursuit of equality. Upon this realization, Elisa strips herself of all the masculine clothes and decides to be the ideal woman. The neo-highly sexualized Elisa portrays the failure of women to achieve equality with men.
The title of the story is also symbolic. Chrysanthemums stand for Elisa’s limited lifestyle and the predetermination of Elisa’s life. The chrysanthemums are beautiful, lively, and strong flowers, which is symbolic of the character of Elisa. Like the flowers, Elisa is a strong individual of courage and suppressed power. Moreover, Elisa openly identifies herself with the flowers. In one instance, she openly admits that she had become one with the flowers. The tinker’s relationship with the flowers is also symbolic. When Elisa offers the tinker the chrysanthemums, he rejects them and tosses them away. This means that the tinker confirmed that Elisa’s pursuit of a lively and active feminine life was abhorred in the society. In addition, the flowers like the women in the play have no role except for aesthetic beauty. The unrealized potential of women is thus symbolized by the title of the play and the manner in which the flowers is used (Tomberger, Dangl, and Fend).
Despite the fact that Elisa is not happy in her marital life, she finds joy in gardening flowers in her backyard. While these flowers symbolize Elisa’s delicate lifestyle, they also represent Elisa’s unfulfilled sexual desires. Steinbeck argues that the need for sexual satisfaction is so powerful that it cannot be underestimated. Absence of sexual satisfaction is a source of irrational acts and behaviors. Whereas Elisa and Harry have a functioning marriage, there is an obvious absence of passion in their marriage. Although Elisa is desirous of an active and influential role in the family, as a woman, she would like a man to satisfy her sexual needs. Elisa’s lack of children is evidence of limited sexual activity between the two couples. In addition, Elisa spends most of her time gardening to repress her sexual desires. Furthermore, Elisa is sexually attracted to the tinker, which points to sexual potential on her part. Her conversations with the tinker bring her back to the feminine world and almost convince her to be comfortable with her place as a woman. This fatal attraction to the tinker destroys Elisa’s original goals of fighting for equality with men and instead, reinforces the influence of men in her life.
In the novel, Elisa represents lives of many women in western society in the early 1930s. Like all other women, Elisa is forced to play a role determined by her gender. Her given role influences her identity, and her behavior. Astonishingly, this given role gives Elisa conflict and frustrations. In the view of Tomberger and Fend, Steinbeck’s story Chrysanthemums evokes the reader’s curiosity leaving the reader with many unanswered questions (Tomberger, Dangl and Fend).
Works Cited
Carrol, Aileen M. 150 Great Short Stories: Teaching Notes, Synopses, and Quizzes. N.p.: Walch Publishing, 1989. Print.
D, Jeffrey, and Luchen Li. Critical Companion to John Steinbeck. Sherman, TX : Infobase Publishing, 2005. Print.
Steinbeck, John. “The Chrysanthemums .” The Chrysanthemums . N.p., 2012. Web. 5 June 2012.
“The Chrysanthemums.” e-notes. e-notes, 2012. Web. 5 June 2012.
Tomberger, M., Ch. Dangl, and K. Fend. Feminist, Phenomenological and Psychoanalytic Approaches to “The Chrysanthemums e . Nordercht, Germany: Aufledge , 1997. Print.
