Symbolism in 'The Chrysanthemums' by John Steinbeck - Essay Example

She tends her beloved plants everyday and makes sure that no aphids, sow bugs, snails and cutworms would damage her plants. She devotes her time and energy to her flowers and proud of them for all its achievements. Her life revolved around them because of the following reasons, she is frustrated with her marriage, having been no children and no romance. She has nothing to use her energy except to tend her flowers, do the chores and attend to her husband. Their relationship as husband and wife lacks excitement, they do not have that magical connection and they talk randomly without intimacy, this reason also added to life’s frustration of Elisa.

Her husband never appreciates her and cannot provide her emotional needs. Elisa is a strong and proud woman who never admitted her failures and frustrations in life because of lack of communication with her husband. The setting of the story is in their farm in Salinas Valley where the author describes the surroundings and the view around their farmhouse. The story starts with Elisa tending to her plants while her husband talking to a couple of men. After talking, Henry, Elisa’s husband went to Elisa to ask her out, have dinner with him to the one of the hotels in town.

Henry closed the deal that morning, having sold thirty head of steal and the reason for the dinner at the hotel to celebrate her husband’s success. There is a lot of symbolism the author used in the story. The author’s description of the place where the farm situated and enveloping the place with a fog means that the place where Elisa lives means that it is isolated from the outside world making less people to go to their place and less people to interact with. Elisa’s conversation with her husband means that their marriage lack romance and intimacy, they talks are limited to general issues and things about their ranch.

In the scene, Henry having said to Elisa that he is hoping Elisa to work on the orchard to raise big apples as big as her chrysanthemums (Steinbeck 2), this symbolizes that Henry sees Elisa as a strong woman that can take care of herself and do not need to be taken care for. Her husband fails to see that Elisa is a woman and need to be appreciated, adored and should provide her needs. Chrysanthemums in the story symbolize two things, children and her femininity. First, it represents Elisa’s children in the story.

Since they have a childless marriage, Elisa focuses her energy and time to her plants, tending them and making sure that there are no pests that would cause damage to her plants. This characteristic symbolizes of maternal instinct Elisa has, just like any mother would do to her children, protecting them from harm, taking good care of them and proud of their achievements just like she feels when her husband praised her plants for having been chrysanthemums with 10 inches wide. The second is a symbol of the chrysanthemums for her newfound femininity.

Compliments to the chrysanthemums from the man with wagon means that the man is admiring Elisa and tearing the battered hat and shaking her hair (Steinbeck 6) while talking to the mean symbolizes her confidence to her newfound femininity. Giving the pot with chrysanthemum buds means that Elisa is giving herself to the man and by whispering to herself that the direction the man took is bright and there is a glowing light (Steinbeck 8) symbolizes hope and change to her married life. The man Elisa met had a great impact on Elisa’s newfound confidence to her femininity and sexuality waiting to be unleashed.

Elisa prepares for dinner by taking a bath and then