Symbolism In The Chrysanthemums And Barren Woman

Women throughout their lives have faced adversity, whether is getting the same pay, the same job, something has always held them back from achieving greatness. In the short story’s ”The Chrysanthemums” and “Barren Woman”, the authors uses imagery and symbolism to depict and to help you understand the repressed feminine qualities of the protagonist, a vibrant person who is not taken seriously because of her gender. During this time, gender inequality was at any all-time high and women weren’t appreciated. Another thing that impacted women is the pressure of being a mother in there society, which caused them to be limited on the amount of things they can do. It demonstrates the frustration of a lonely women surrounded by a male dominated lifestyle. …show more content…
Elisa and Henry rarely engage in an intimate relationship and you can picture or imagine them as just being friends. Their marriage lacks any communication, passion, and romance. Henry is usually busy worker and Elisa is mainly working in her garden. The lack of romance between the two prevents them from having kids. When the salesman approaches Elisa, there communication brings a spark that she has not felt in a long time. It is stated “While the man came through the picket fence Elisa ran excitedly along the geranium-bordered path to the back of the house” meaning that she was happy that someone noticed and appreciated what she has done. In the poem, “Barren Woman”, she feels lonely throughout the whole poem. For instance it is stated that “Empty, I echo to the least footfall” meaning that she was feels empty inside and people are drifting away from her. Another example is, she says that she feels like a “Museum without statues” meaning that she is beautiful on the outside, but on the inside she feels …show more content…
In the story “The Chrysanthemum” Elisa does not physically have a kid, but her garden symbolizes one. She is in the garden everyday making sure it is in good condition. In the text, it is stated that she places “wire fence that protected her flower garden from cattle and dogs and chickens” just like any mother would to in order to protect her child from any danger. In the poem “Barren Woman”, she is pressured to have a child because it is meant for the women to have one in her society. It is stated in the text that “Mother of a white Nike and several bald-eyed Apollos. Instead, the dead injure me with attentions, and nothing can happen” meaning that she is supposed to have a kid, but she knows that it is physically impossible for her to have one because she is infertile and this make her less of a woman than others in her society that have