#1
In Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” the use of symbolism as a style and art of literary representation is apparent all through the book. For instance, Steinbeck uses the fence and the flowers to symbolically represent the life of Elisa in a society which was male dominated whereby women were viewed as subjects of men in all aspects of life “ Elisa stood in front of her wire fence watching the slow progress of the caravan.” As the above quote denotes, it is evident that the fence confines Elisa into the imaginary protection of her husband at all times and can only watch the outside world at a distance as a way of avoiding what Steinbeck seems to call ‘contamination’. As a matter of fact, the fence is a perfect representation of Elisa’s loneliness, neglect and protection all courtesy of men in her society. The flowers symbolize solace and satisfaction which seems to be short-lived as far as performing her duties as a wife is concerned irrespective of her desires and wishes.
#2
In the book “The Chrysanthemums”, the motive of the salesman is to make business out of his encounter with Elisa although Elisa thinks otherwise (Steinbeck, 1937). Despite the fact that Elisa seeks to chant her different path in the actualization of her dreams through engaging the tinker, the resultant encounters speak otherwise. The salesman only wants to engage her to get business and make money only. After the salesman leaves Elisa’s compound, she is left disillusioned, desperate and uncontended by the experience, attributes which significantly show how neglected she is. Henry seems to have overprotected her. Her life was a mess as the quote asserts, " It ain't the right kind of a life for a woman" (83).
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#3
After seeing the discarded flowers on the side of the road, Elisa’s feelings and attitude changes abruptly. She feels deceived by her interaction with the tinker whom she thought she could interact with and gain a different experience of life. Her reaction and response to her husband proves how disjointed they are in their marriage such that her husband could hardly understand her feelings (Kennedy & Gioia, 2016). Although she suddenly notices the change in Elisa, Elisa’s husband is pestered by her question about the fights which is meant to distract herself from what she had seen “Oh, sure, some. What's the matter, Elisa? Do you want to go? I don't think you'd like it, but I'll take you if you really want to go.'"
#4
The major theme in the story “The Chrysanthemums” is about gender roles and the oppression of women in the society. Steinbeck is remarkable in offering a modern view of the role of women in the society all through the book. Shockingly, the author sympathizes with women through the character of Elisa by taking a modern-day feminists approach. In his approach, Steinbeck educates the audience on the importance of avoiding trapping women on the traditional roles of being ‘wives’, ‘gardener’ and ‘housekeepers’. The author rather advises the audience to embrace the provisions of gender equality in all aspects of life because women are as able as men. As Elisa asserts, women are strong beings "I'm strong,' she boasted. 'I never knew before how strong (347)."
References
Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2016). Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. D. Stone (Ed.). Pearson.
Steinbeck, J. (1937). The chrysanthemums: A story. Concord, N.H: Harper & Bros.
