The Salinas Valley symbolizes Elisa’s emotional life.
What are the symbols in The Chrysanthemums?
Steinbeck uses chrysanthemums as symbols of the inner-self of Elisa and of every woman. First, the chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa’s children. She tends her garden and handles the chrysanthemums with love and care, just as she would handle her own children.
What do The Chrysanthemums symbolize in Odour of chrysanthemums?
Chrysanthemums, although primarily a symbol of death, occasionally have life-affirming associations as well. Annie, Elizabeth’s daughter, is enamored with the chrysanthemums that Elizabeth has placed in her apron and thinks they smell beautiful.
What does the fence symbolize in The Chrysanthemums?
In “The Chrysanthemums,” the wire fence symbolizes Elisa’s separation from the world. The fence serves both to protect and imprison her….
What was the imagery at the beginning of the story the chrysanthemum?
Indeed, in the opening paragraph of the story, Steinbeck describes the valley as resembling a closed pot, an image which at once summons the idea of Elisa’s body as well as the sexual repression she feels as Henry’s wife.
What does Elisa see at the end of The Chrysanthemums?
They drive to town together, and Elisa notices a dark speck on the road in the distance. She realizes it’s the chrysanthemum sprouts that the tinker has dumped by the side of the road, keeping the pot.
What is the main theme of chrysanthemums?
The Inequality of Gender
“The Chrysanthemums” is an understated but pointed critique of a society that has no place for intelligent women. Elisa is smart, energetic, attractive, and ambitious, but all these attributes go to waste.
What does Elizabeth realize at the end of Odour of chrysanthemums?
Elizabeth realizes she has been culpable in her own unhappiness. At the end of the story, she submits to both life and death as her “masters,” humbled by her own mistakes and, we may assume, about to carry on with a new perspective.
Where does Odour of chrysanthemums take place?
Nottinghamshire
Near/Within Nottinghamshire (A County in England’s East Midlands)
Why does Elisa claim so good with plants?
She knows a great deal about plants, most likely because as a woman, gardening is the only thing she has to think about. Elisa is so frustrated with life that she readily looks to the tinker for stimulating conversation and even sex, two elements that seem to be lacking in her life.
Why is Elisa crying at the end of The Chrysanthemums?
Elisa can’t be feeling too happy about the fact that the tinker tossed her flowers, and she can’t even face him when their car passes his wagon. Instead, she turns to Henry and asks for wine at dinner. What a small consolation. Tempted by the fights, she realizes that’s too much excitement for her unexciting life.
Why is Elisa attracted to the Tinker?
Elisa’s feminine side begins to emerge as she takes off her masculine gloves and hat. She is attracted to the tinker because, as Stanley Renner points out, he represents a world of adventure and freedom that only men enjoy (306).
Why does Elisa cry at the end of the story Discuss what you believe her tears indicate and what they suggest about what rest of her life will look like?
These tears seem to indicate an agony rooted in a sad acceptance of her misery, which would suggest that Elisa’s future is just as bleak. Although she hopes for a way to find more independence and an outlet for her excess energy, she has no hope for escape from her provincial, isolated life.
What does Elisa see as she and her husband drive into town at the end of The Chrysanthemums?
As they drive along the road toward Salinas, Elisa sees a dark spot up ahead and can’t stop herself from looking at it, sure that it’s a pile of discarded chrysanthemum shoots that the tinker has thrown away.
What point of view is used in the story The Chrysanthemums?
the third person
Steinbeck displays an extraordinary ability to delve into the complexities of a woman’s consciousness. “The Chrysanthemums” is told in the third person, but the narration is presented almost entirely from Elisa’s point of view.
What time period is The Chrysanthemums set in?
1920s-1930s
The short story “The Chrysanthemums,” was set in the era of 1920s-1930s. This can be seen when the author says ” The strangers were getting into their Ford Coupe.” (“The Chrysanthemums,” Steinbeck, page 106, paragraph 8, line 1-2.)
What happens at the end of The Chrysanthemums What does the stranger do that?
At the end of “The Chrysanthemums,” what does the stranger do that makes Elisa sad? A. He tells her that he is in love with someone else.
Why do Eliza and her husband have dinner in town?
Her husband returns from his successful business deal, and he wants to go into town to celebrate. They plan to finish their work for the day and head into Salinas for dinner.
What is the conflict in the chrysanthemums?
The prominent conflict in this story is man vs self. Elisa deals with an internal conflict where she is not entirely satisfied with her life. She is not thoroughly happy with the way she feels or is being treated in her marriage.
What is the tone of the chrysanthemums?
Neutral, Distant, Wistful.
What is the setting of the story chrysanthemum?
The story takes place in the Salinas Valley in December at Henry Allen’s ranch in the foothills. Immediately, we’re placed in a rural setting, where women are isolated and men are manly.