Analysis of Character and Setting: “The Chrysanthemums ” John Steinbeck’s ‘The Chrysanthemums’s hows the true feelings of the main character, Elisa Allen, through the use of setting and her interactions with other characters in the story. By way of vivid descriptions, Elisa’s feelings of dissatisfaction over the lack of excitement in her life are portrayed. Her role as a mere housewife and then the subsequent change to feelings of a self-assured woman are clearly seen. These inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of Elisa working in the garden with the chrysanthemums, the conversation she has with the man passing through, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner. Steinbeck’s strong and somewhat manly description of Elisa while working in the garden, gives the distinct impression that she is not as weak as a stereotypical housewife would be. He writes that ‘Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water.
Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets to hold the snips, the trowel and scratcher, the seeds and the knife she worked with.’ As evidenced by this excerpt you can see that she has covered up her hair with a ‘man’s hat’ and has thrown an apron over her dress in attempts to cover up her femininity. This apron also takes on a similar role as a man’s tool belt as he works the land. This initial description lends to the notion that Elisa wants to be stronger as a woman, to stand beyond the stereotype of a housewife. Other phrases used by Steinbeck further the above points. The author mentions that her face was ‘handsome,’ her work with the scissors was ‘over-powerful,’ and her fingers ‘destroyed such pests.’ This description shows an inner strength that Elisa possesses; yet she is unable to bring this out. She also hints to the reader that she would like to take on more masculine responsibilities after her husband Henry comments on the size and beauty of her chrysanthemums.
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Classical Psychoanalysis. Situation: Billy Bruce has been suffering a mild form of manic depression, or bipolar disorder and finally decided to seek help from a classical psychoanalyst, Michelle, who was a strict Freudian. Following is an excerpt of the conversations between Billy and his psychoanalyst during a typical therapy. M: Are you feeling comfortable on the couch B: Yes... M: Now, relax ...
He says that he wishes she’d work out in the orchard and ‘raise some apples that big.’ She reacts to this by saying ‘Maybe I could do it too. I’ve got a gift with things, all right. My mother had it. She could stick anything in the ground and make it grow.” All of these descriptions show the reader that Elisa Allen strives to be more than just a woman in her own world. At the same time, she leads her husband to believe that she is content with being a mere housewife. In the portion of the story where Elisa is talking to the ‘Fixer-Guy’ who happens to pull down the road to her farm, Steinbeck shows Elisa’s eagerness for attention and how she comes to the realization that there is a more exciting life outside the farm.
In the “Fixer-Guy”, Elisa finds somebody who sees her as more than a housewife, someone who can appreciate her from an unbiased viewpoint. He offers his services and she turns him down saying “I tell you I have nothing like that for you to do.” At first she resists conversation with him. Then when he asks about her plants Steinbeck writes “The irritation and resistance melted from Elisa’s face.”I raise them every year, bigger than anybody around here”, she boasts. She is now very eager to talk about her chrysanthemums.
Elisa’s face becomes ‘tight with eagerness’ as she talks about them, as if they were her children. The vibes from her infatuation with these flowers are picked up by the old man, and there is an unspoken connection between these two perfect strangers as they have both chosen their own preoccupation in life, his being a passion of pots and hers a love of chrysanthemums. It is this connection that ignites the realization that she longs to break free from the everyday routine she calls life. This feeling is so strong that ‘her hand went out toward his legs in the greasy black trousers’ as if to grasp a piece of his adventurous life at least through her eyes.
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Her interest in this adventure of his is further exemplified as she exclaims, ‘It must be nice to live that kind of life.” She then states, ‘I wish women could do such things,’ fooling even herself into thinking it is not a woman’s place to live such adventures. She wants his freedom. These truths make it obvious that Elisa is wishing for more than life is presently giving her, but at the same time she can’t break free from the stereotype society has given her. In the final segment of Steinbeck’s ‘The Chrysanthemums,’ Elisa shows a new aura of confidence is as she prepares for an outing with her husband. The episode of her washing and dressing is symbolic of her transition.
Tearing off her “soiled clothes” and flinging them into the corner, “she scrubbed herself with a little block of pumice, legs and thighs, loins and chest and arms, until her skin was scratched and red.” This is symbolic of Elisa coming out of her old being, releasing a newness she had become to know. She ‘tightened her stomach and threw out her chest… She put on her newest under-clothing and her nicest stocking and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness. She worked carefully on her hair, penciled her eyebrows and rouged her lips.’ All of this is brought about because one man took interest in her private pleasure-the chrysanthemums. Because she lived such a secluded life as a housewife, Elisa apparently never made the effort before to look pretty, as seen when her husband ‘stops short,’ looks at her and says, ‘Why-why, Elisa. You look so nice!’ He goes on to say she looks ‘different, strong, and happy.’ Indeed, Elisa has seemed to undergo a complete metamorphosis from being an average housewife to a confident woman.
She boasts, ‘I am strong. I never knew before how strong.’ Furthermore, she makes requests that she probably has never asked for in the past such as wine at dinner. She also shows a sudden interest in the prizefights, which she had been quick to reject in the past. This illustrates her emergence from the norm her husband knew so well. Unfortunately, at the conclusion of Steinbeck’s short story, Steinbeck has her fall right back into the rut she so despised. She comes back to reality and ‘turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly-like an old woman.’ Elisa’s inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of her working in the garden, the conversation she has with the “Fixer-Guy”, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner.
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... Elisa realized that only her husband really cared for her, and was always there for her. In my opinion the Chrysanthemums ... The story was written by John Steinbeck by the name "The Chrysanthemums." The story takes a place on ... her gloves from her excitement. She used her strong fingers to fill up the pot with soil. ... herself in the mirror, and saw a real woman. "She tightened her stomach, and threw out ...
Steinbeck offers an array of different details concerning the character of Elisa Allen. The main detail being that she is a strong woman on the inside although she seems to struggle in showing it throughout the story. Because of the ‘Pot Fixer,’ she is able to act, although for a short time, like that strong woman. Steinbeck unfortunately brings Elisa full-circle, back to where she started. She notices on the way to dinner her chrysanthemum sprouts at the roadside. This, along with her husband’s hesitation to allow her curiosity, puts her back where she started, canceling her emergence.
One must ask after reading this short story if Elisa will continue this discontented lifestyle. Or will she be able to blossom beautifully for good, as do her chrysanthemums? Analysis of Character and Setting:” The Chrysanthemums”.
