The Chrysanthemums Literary Analysis

Elisa, the wife of Henry, gardener, and protagonist in John Steinbeck's, “The Chrysanthemums”, begins the short story showing little affection to others and isolating herself from her husband. She acts defensive around Henry, and the two are not close. They do not seem open with one another while they both show resistance. In the beginning, she sees herself as a strong and fully capable woman. She can rely on herself while gardening and does not need any help, but wishes to be accepted by her husband. Her husband, Henry, a farmer, financially supports Elisa on the ranch they both live on in California. Henry does not associate himself with her work. She wishes that she could have someone that could accept her and care for her the way she wants to be treated, not as a rejected item. However, her qualities change when she meets a salesperson passing by who shows interest in Elisa’s hobby. When the traveller makes …show more content…
The plants represent the way that Elisa will act around one another. When Elisa becomes fed up with playing an ignored role and being put aside by her husband, a grudge developes making the static relation emphasized. She sees herself as a masculine and capable woman. Elisa’s husband sees her work in the garden as a waste of time, yet he wishes that Elisa could work efficiently for him by saying, “I wish you would work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big” (227) referring to her strong flowers. Henry offers Elisa to help pick the apples because he likes how inclined she is and how productively she works. This comment shows the constant feeling of little compassion that they both show for each other. The lack of peace leads Elisa to further ignore Henry and focus on her work alone. Her strong composure does not abandon Elisa when her husband rejects her and this isolation from Henry makes her more open to