The 1930’s were a particularly tumultuous time - with the Great Depression in full effect after beginning in 1929, and women becoming more active in advocating and fighting for their rights after winning the right to vote. John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums was written in this time, dealing with then-current societal issues. The story focuses on Elisa, a woman who uses her “green thumb” to grow tall, strong, and beautiful chrysanthemum flowers. Steinbeck focuses on her bleak existence in an oppressive male environment, exemplified through her husband and a traveling tinker. It is clear that before Elisa’s interaction with the traveling man, she is a proud, strong, and subtly masculine character who takes pride in her work and feels that she
…show more content…
Clearly, after interacting with the tinker and seeing what he truly thinks of her work, Elisa is much less confident in herself and is relegated to “crying weakly,” in sadness over the way she was treated (7). After speaking with him, “She put on her newest underclothing and her nicest stockings and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness” in a bid to look as feminine as possible (7). Arrogance is stereotypically associated with men, and when she reverts back to her feminine persona, she loses her arrogance and self-pride, destroying her original confident personality, and questioning her husband when he calls her strong. Henry says “I mean you look different, strong…” to which Elisa responds, “I am strong?” symbolizing that she is now doubting her own strength instead of flaunting it as a result of being oppressed by the tinker. She realizes that she is just a woman, a pretty face, not someone who is valued for anything more. Her little value is emphasized in the tinker’s act of throwing her precious flowers onto the road, “Far ahead on the road Elisa saw a dark speck. She knew…He might have thrown them off the road…But he kept the pot” so he could sell it (7). After she sees those flowers on the ground, she begins to cry “…like an …show more content…
No. I don’t want to go. I’m sure I don’t,” even after showing an interest. This can be attributed to the fact that she is so broken, and feels so helpless, that she has given up and does not want to experience anything anymore. She has been pushed so far that she no longer has the motivation to continue to fight and continue to be strong; instead, she is reverting back to her feminine side, as the tinker essentially forced her to do by introducing the gender expectations of society, leaving her to cry weakly “like an old woman” (7). Elisa’s masculinity and strength has disappeared at this point, and she has given up and is weeping to console herself. Elisa’s resignation is evident in how she asks her husband for wine, saying, “It will be enough if we can have wine. It will be plenty” (7). The word plenty symbolizes how she believes that nothing in life can fulfill her and make her happy anymore, and that the wine - something small, simple, and insignificant like herself - is all that she has left that to offer her comfort. Alcohol is often used by drinkers as a way to escape the harshness of reality, and perhaps Elisa is asking for them to drink wine so that she can escape the sadness and oppression of her own reality. For Elisa to ask for something as little as wine, and say that it will be “plenty” shows that she has given up and is settling for the
Clearly, after interacting with the tinker and seeing what he truly thinks of her work, Elisa is much less confident in herself and is relegated to “crying weakly,” in sadness over the way she was treated (7). After speaking with him, “She put on her newest underclothing and her nicest stockings and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness” in a bid to look as feminine as possible (7). Arrogance is stereotypically associated with men, and when she reverts back to her feminine persona, she loses her arrogance and self-pride, destroying her original confident personality, and questioning her husband when he calls her strong. Henry says “I mean you look different, strong…” to which Elisa responds, “I am strong?” symbolizing that she is now doubting her own strength instead of flaunting it as a result of being oppressed by the tinker. She realizes that she is just a woman, a pretty face, not someone who is valued for anything more. Her little value is emphasized in the tinker’s act of throwing her precious flowers onto the road, “Far ahead on the road Elisa saw a dark speck. She knew…He might have thrown them off the road…But he kept the pot” so he could sell it (7). After she sees those flowers on the ground, she begins to cry “…like an …show more content…
No. I don’t want to go. I’m sure I don’t,” even after showing an interest. This can be attributed to the fact that she is so broken, and feels so helpless, that she has given up and does not want to experience anything anymore. She has been pushed so far that she no longer has the motivation to continue to fight and continue to be strong; instead, she is reverting back to her feminine side, as the tinker essentially forced her to do by introducing the gender expectations of society, leaving her to cry weakly “like an old woman” (7). Elisa’s masculinity and strength has disappeared at this point, and she has given up and is weeping to console herself. Elisa’s resignation is evident in how she asks her husband for wine, saying, “It will be enough if we can have wine. It will be plenty” (7). The word plenty symbolizes how she believes that nothing in life can fulfill her and make her happy anymore, and that the wine - something small, simple, and insignificant like herself - is all that she has left that to offer her comfort. Alcohol is often used by drinkers as a way to escape the harshness of reality, and perhaps Elisa is asking for them to drink wine so that she can escape the sadness and oppression of her own reality. For Elisa to ask for something as little as wine, and say that it will be “plenty” shows that she has given up and is settling for the