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The short story, composed by John Steinbeck, called "The Chrysanthemums" demonstrates an interesting theme of great magnitude. The main focus of this brief story is based around the seclusion and frustration of Elisa Allen's life. From the beginning, the main character Elisa is alone. While her spouse is having an organisation conversation with some men dressed in fits and cigarette smoking, she is tending to her garden of chrysanthemums. Not just she is alone physically, she is likewise afflicted by both psychological and sexual distress.
Eventually that sense of loneliness results in the discontent of her life, until a scruffy, middle-aged guy appears in a worn caravan being pulled by a horse and a small donkey, referred to as a burro.
The setting of the brief story sets the tone for the theme. It opens up with the following description: "The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world." (1) The environment of Elisa Allen's current house location leaves the rural valley with little to no exchange from the outdoors world.
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Henry Allen, Elisa's other half, is having an organisation discussion with two professional men as they stood near the tractor shed. When Elisa views her spouse from the range of her chrysanthemum garden, she feels that sense of separation. Her physical and emotional being begins to reach feelings of desertion, while her spouse takes part in the manual work and requiring jobs of the cattle ranch, which is supposed to be thought about "a male's task," whereas "the ladies's job" is identified by the actions of gardening, preparing meals and maintaining a tidy residency.
After her husband Henry leaves to finish his business affiliations, Elisa spots a wagon that is being controlled by an unshaven man.
As he dismantles from his caravan, Elisa and the stranger strike a conversation about her gardening abilities and her “. . . planters’ hands.”(13) They discussed how she was able to place ordinary seeds within the ground and succeed in bringing these plants to their mature state. One thing that appealed to Elisa’s attention was the man’s eyes. She describes them as “. . . dark and. . . full of the brooding that gets in the eyes of teamsters and sailors.” (33) Soon after gazing upon his eyes, Elisa gives the man directions to the Los Angeles Highway because he fell off his usual route. As time passes, the man speaks of his distant travel and his profession as a tinker, an individual who makes a living through the mending of pots and sharpening knifes. After numerous words had been exchanged, the tinker notifies that one of his customers wants to grow chrysanthemums. Elisa’s mood completely alters from the statement this man has made. This influenced Elisa’s sense of aspiration.
She offered the man some spouts in a pot that he may deliver to the customer. She hastily then explains step-by-step on how to nourish these flowers and maintain their lusciousness and livelihood. In the middle of instructing the gentleman, she slows down and begins to grow confused. The conversation becomes awkward. The tinker then promises to try to remember the instructions she had given him. Time elapses, the tinker is ready to leave. Before his departure, Elisa pays the man fifty cents for repairing two damaged pans that she had dug up. As the tinker returns from the direction in wince he came, she waves goodbye and begins to whisper softly to herself. Elisa finds herself alone, once again isolated and lonely.
Another theme that is brought upon the reader’s attention is the theme of dissatisfaction. There are various moments in “The Chrysanthemums” where Elisa is unsatisfied with her overall well-being. Before Elisa meets the tinker, she is found in her garden cutting down last year’s chrysanthemum stalks with a pair of small, yet powerful scissors. As she slicing away at the stalks, “The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy.” (6) Usually when an average individual performs a job that indeed is not difficult, it tends to become tedious. Elisa is indeed passionate about her garden but, she is so dissatisfied with herself that the stems weren’t worth cutting. Henry Allen steps into the picture. He had just sold “. . . thirty head of three-year-old steers” (16) to the Western Meat Company.
That being said he wanted to celebrate with his wife by taking her to dinner at the Comino’s Hotel. Surprisingly Elisa was quite fond of this idea. She states, “Of course I’ll like it. It’s good to eat away from home.” (23) Fast forward to where Henry and Elisa are getting dress to go on a pleasant evening with each other. As Henry finishes putting on his last item of clothing, he noticed his stunning wife. He attempts to give a compliment to his wife by saying she looks “You look so nice.” (99) Elisa’s idiotic response was “Nice? You think I look nice? What do you mean by ‘nice’?” (100) Henry struggles to explain himself and becomes bewildered. Elisa is so discontent with her own physical appearance that her loving husband’s affectionate compliment could not lift her spirits up. Believe it or not, there are often implications throughout the story of Elisa being considered a strong woman. For example, after the verbal altercation with her husband she declares “I’m strong. . . I never knew before how strong. . .” (104). In the last few lines of the story, she is labeled as an old woman for “crying weakly. . .” (122).
Through the entire story of John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemum,” the character of Elisa suffers through loneliness and isolation along with the dissatisfaction of her own life. There are even points where she demonstrates characteristics of strength and passion. At the end of the story, the conclusion stands that Elisa Allen is a complete mystery. Her inconsistency to maintain resilience in matters dealing with her God-given talent deprives Elisa of positivity and satisfaction. The audience cannot fully understand the complexity of Elisa Allen’s mind; therefore many questions are left unanswered.
Works Cited
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction,Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 11th ed. New York: Pearson, 2010. Print. Steinbeck, John. The Chrysanthemums. Logan, IA: Perfection Form, 1979. Print.
The Discontent of One’s Life. (2017, Jan 08). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-discontent-of-ones-life-essay
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