The Chrysanthemums John Steinbeck Analysis

Document Type:Research Paper

Subject Area:English

Document 1

In his work, Steinbeck concentrated on both social and political issues that were happening in the United States at the time of his writing, making many of his works western literature classics. His keenness on social issues is what saw him with the many literary awards that he won when he was alive. His story, The Chrysanthemums, is no exception. The story is a reflection of social, political and psychological issues. This essay will focus on the concept of gender roles and isolation as portrayed in The Chrysanthemums. At the time when the story was first published, Frances Perkins had made history as the first female cabinet secretary in the country. It is to be noted that Perkin’s win in a male dominated society was taken as one of the very first steps towards the attainment of gender equality in the United States.

Sign up to view the full document!

Women were struggling to have such roles in a society that did not easily allow them to, and therefore Perkin’s win was a win for all women. It therefore makes sense why Steinbeck would focus on the issues that he focused on in the story- those were the issues that were relevant at the time. The role of women in the society is one of the major themes in The Chrysanthemums. However, Elisa is pleased by her seemingly masculine gardening and does not change her gardening style. This too, is a sign of her trying to challenge the stereotype of the roles of a woman. Further into the story, the tinker comes to ask for work in Elisa’s garden and just as a man would, her first reaction is to resist giving him work (Steinbeck, 333, 2018).

Sign up to view the full document!

She gets into a conversation with the tinker who praises her flowers and as Stanley Renner argues, Elisa is attracted to the tinker because he represented the freedom that only men enjoyed (Stanley Renner, 306). Charles Sweet describes Elisa as an embryonic feminist trying to challenge the roles that society had tied women to in the 1930’s. Throughout the story, the reader sees that Elisa and her husband Henry have a relationship that only exists on a surface level but does not go any deep. It seems like her own husband does not understand her private life, and she does not give her husband full access of her inner life. As a result of the civil affiliation between Elisa and her spouse, she is not able to communicate her sexual desires with him and represses her romantic feelings.

Sign up to view the full document!

Sweet argues that the lack of adequate communication in the relationship also contributes to the fact that they cannot have fights in their relationship hence further contributing to their withdrawal from each other. As a result of the emotional isolation, the tinker comes to Elisa; she trusts him very quickly and lets him into her life, “That’s a bright direction. Works Cited Marcus, Mordecai. "THE LOST DREAM OF SEX AND CHILDBIRTH IN "THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS". " Modern Fiction Studies, vol.  11, no.  1, 1965, pp. https://www. jstor. org/stable/pdf/26278707. pdf?casa_token=9ooTItOFkvMAAAAA:eq4y07Sw6oUq6eW0DKQWwvbyzvyleGIfE-rNEHmVcBXRnhddc1Bu7sDbXjRtVIHldsZrjXHj5CyZYQ_q3doWr05UkzyaN3nVyVHg2jL0eQMliGs-PUY Thomas, Leroy. "Steinbeck's the Chrysanthemums. Schultz, Jeffrey D. , and Luchen Li.  Critical Companion to John Steinbeck: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work.

Sign up to view the full document!

From $10 to earn access

Only on Studyloop

Original template

Downloadable