Feminine Status In The Chrysanthemums And No Ones A Mystery - Essay Example

Feminine Status In The Chrysanthemums And No One’s A Mystery Female characters are always different from male characters in any given society. However, the roles played by men and women in society today are not entirely affected by their sexual orientation in every aspect. It is true that sexual orientation was once a major determinant of an individual’s activities as well as the roles and positions they held in society. In the short stories “The Chrysanthemums,” by John Steinbeck, and “No One’s A Mystery,” by Elizabeth Tallent, both focus on the relationship between male and female characters, particularly the pitiful status held by females. Although both stories are extraordinary, “The Chrysanthemums” is more notable in expressing the weaknesses of the major female character compared to “No One’s A Mystery.” In “The Chrysanthemums,” Steinbeck sets the story on the beautiful west coast in Salinas Valley, California. However, he presents an enormously depressing environment to the readers rather than exquisite scenery. “The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley form the sky and from all the rest of the world” (Steinbeck, 227). Steinbeck begins the story with a depressing tone. “High grey-flannel fog”, “close off”, along with “sat like a lid” and “closed pot” are just some of the phrases he uses insinuate the living environment of Elisa. This environment shows the depressive atmosphere felt in society during that era, as Steinbeck wrote the story back in the 1930s. This was a time when women were perceived as and required to be submissive to men. That environment destroyed the inspiration inside most female’s hearts by making them forget their feminine identities that they should have held. In a masculine dominated society, females are limited to the role of “housewife.” In such an environment, females do not have an equal chance to stand side by side with males. As Renner states: “"The Chrysanthemums" is a story about a strong, capable woman kept from personal, social, and sexual fulfillment by the prevailing conception of a woman's role in a world dominated by men” (Renner, 305). It is pathetic that society had no room for such a capable woman to show what she could achieve. Furthermore, Steinbeck assigns two male characters in the story to emphasize Elisa’s vulnerable social status: her husband Henry and the tinker. When Henry praises her for a job well done on her chrysanthemum crop, she is pleased by her husband’s words and feels satisfied with her efforts. However, Henry keeps her status low by stating that he “offers” her an evening (Dickmann). The tinker brings even more mental damage to poor Elisa. When Elisa gives the tinker the chrysanthemum, she is using the flower to reach out to the world outside (Renner, 305). However, the tinker dumps the flower: “rejecting her gesture toward a larger life, and she remains a pitiable victim of male domination and female disadvantage” (Renner, 305). The other short story, “No One’s A Mystery” by Elizabeth Tallent, is a portrayal of how women are undervalued by their male counterparts. The story mainly uses dialogue along with some narration at the beginning of the story. The narrator, an 18 year-old girl, is sitting next to her lover in a pickup truck. The girl describes her diary with a lock, which she received from her lover as a birthday gift. The diary is essential, and Tallent gives it thoughtful meaning to the relationship of the couple. It reflects how the girl's lover, someone else's husband, Jack, treated the girl in some way. The diary is no doubt a birthday gift from Jack; however, the "lover's birthday gift" seems to be a little bit cheap. It has a little key of poor quality, while the lock "didn't seem to want to work" (3). This is “an ill omen for their relationship” (Esch, 2009). The author is using this mechanism to identify the inequality of men and women. The painting titled "Lycurgus Consulting the Pythia," by the artist Eugene Delacroix, portrays a woman sitting on a chair while conversing with a man standing before her. The woman is dressed in a magnificent ancient robe of a high quality nature. Delacroix aims to illustrate as clearly as possible her high status as an Oracle. This piece of art demonstrates a different perspective of the role women play in society aside from those evident in the two stories discussed above. The painting shows that women can achieve a higher social status and significance than their male counterparts. In this context, men tend to relegate themselves, as evident by the body language of the two persons in the painting, as the man seems to be at the woman’s discretion. Through this exceptional work, Delacroix points out that the role played by women in a large society cannot be substituted by men, and women are just as important and relevant as men for the well-being and nourishment of humanity. From the statement Delacroix made, it is obvious that in the story “The Chrysanthemums” Elisa went exactly the opposite way compared to the situation of the painting. Also, the 18-year-old girl in “No One’s A Mystery” still can argue with the male character Jack. Both stories and also the painting touch on the sensitive topic of the roles taken up by women in society today. Although “No One’s A Mystery” reveals much about a woman’s weaknesses in comparison to men, it is not as impressive as Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” in enlightening the audience on the theme of women’s roles. Steinbeck has successfully shaped the female character by using the story’s setting and providing an abundance of writing methods. His writing creates a phenomenon in that the more the reader looks closely the more the reader sees that ordinary interpretations can no longer explain the figurative design and structure (Renner, 305). Compared to Steinbeck, Tallent works simply and accurately by using her purpose to express the weaknesses of the female character through using only the narrator and dialogue to form the story. It is evident that she concentrates on only specific information in such a short story. However, a lack of further description of the characters puts Tallent behind Steinbeck in terms of the comparison of these two specific stories. This is because there is merely a surface connection between Jack’s wife and the other two characters. Has sexual orientation been changed in this modern society compared to the previous generation? The answer could be affirmative or negative based on one’s point of view. From the ancient French painting, Delacroix delivered a wish that females can achieve higher social status than men, even as early as the 19th century. Steinbeck beautifully delivered a message telling people that women still live under the shadow of man in contemporary America. Thirdly, Tallent states that women are trying to walk side-by-side with men, but this action has been denied by men. Aside from the statements made by the authors, Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” truly stands out in approaching the theme of feminism. The character of Elisa and her social status will be recognized by more readers in the near future. Works Cited Delacroix, Eugene, "Lycurgus Consulting the Pythia", ca. 1840s Dickmann, Denise, “John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums": A Woman Bound By Society”, Lone Star College System. Web. Esch, James, “On "No One's a Mystery" by Elizabeth Tallent”, notearama.blogspot.com, Dec 4, 2009, Web. Renner, Stanley, “The Real Woman Inside the Fence in "The Chrysanthemums"”, MFS Modern Fiction Studies Volume 31, Number 2, Summer 1985. Steinbeck, John, “The Chrysanthemums”, Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th Compact ed. New York: Pearson, 2013. 227. Print. Tallent, Elizabeth. "No One's A Mystery." Handout. Renner, Stanley, “The Real Woman Inside the Fence in "The Chrysanthemums"”, MFS Modern Fiction Studies Volume 31, Number 2, Summer 1985. Delacroix, Eugene, "Lycurgus Consulting the Pythia", ca. 1840s Dickmann, Denise, “John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums": A Woman Bound By Society”, Lone Star College System. Web. Read More