Female Figure in Chrysanthemums and Feminism Circumstances Analyzed

In John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums” Elisa Allen is presented as the protagonist. She is a beautiful 35-year-old woman who is energetic and full of life.  She is presented as a determined gardener and a housekeeper.  However, there is an indication that, Elisa is not satisfied with her life.  One of the reasons behind it is that she is frustrated by the fact that she does not have a child and that her husband has failed to admire her as a woman.  Therefore Elisa thinks of gardening and housework as a way of escaping from her unattractive life.   She seems attracted to independent life.

            Due to the frustrations, she is facing in her life, Elisa expresses excitement on hearing of the tinkers’ independent and nomadic life.  This is an indication she is not satisfied with her married life.  She responds to the tinker with some observable enthusiasm - both verbally and physically. This shows the level of unhappiness she is experiencing in her marriage and especially with her husband.

 In the conversations that Elisa holds with the tinker, the audience gets to view her eloquence in describing her intuitive connection she has with the chrysanthemums. It seems that the flowers hold an important meaning in her life- they are a source of hope for her.  As she attends to the chrysanthemums, the audience gets to understand that Elisa is in the prime of her life physically and intellectually. Her position and status in the community is shown by the fact that she lacks access to tasks beyond small domestic chores. This is what the community expects of a woman. It is evident that in this community, the woman is required t be submissive to her husband.

 The chrysanthemums are an important element in showing the situation and life of Elisa Ellen. Elisa tends the flowers with love and care. This is the love that she would be showing her children, but it is unfortunate she does not have a child. Her husband is unromantic, and she is forced to use her energy attending to the flowers.  Elisa is shown as a gardener who is protective of her flowers, and she has placed a wire fence around the gardened. The author writes ”she makes sure no aphids, no sow bugs or snails or cutworms” are present on her flower.  This is because her ”terrier fingers destroy such pests before they get started” (Steinbeck 4). This can be compared to the way a good mother removes any harm that can put their children lives in danger.  In this regard, the chrysanthemums are symbolic of the children.  She is attached to them and would do anything to protect them.  The compliment by her husband makes the audience get a glimpse of what the flowers mean to her.  Henry says ”you have got a strong crop coming … you’ve got a gift with these things” (Steinbeck 5)

 While the husband thinks that the chrysanthemums are less useful, Elisa is unwilling to consider changing to other attractive products.   Henry suggests that ”I wish you’d work in the orchard and raise some apples that big” (Steinbeck 5) however Elisa is unwilling to consider this suggestion. She responds ”I’ve a gift with things, all right” (Steinbeck 5) she claims growing chrysanthemums a tradition for her because her mother did it and made them flourish.  She claims that they excel in growing chrysanthemums because in their lineage they have ”planters hands that knew how to do it” (Steinbeck 6); this is one of the reasons why she does not consider dropping the habit. Her love for the chrysanthemums makes her proud, and at some point, she is uncomfortable when her husband talks about her flowers. The author writes that she gets proud and ”on her face, there is a little smugness” (Steinbeck 6). Her pride in the ability to grow the chrysanthemums is shown as a replacement for her children.

            The audience gets to understand that the chrysanthemums are a symbol of Elisa’s feminity and sexuality. The narration of Elisa caring for the flowers depict the care she would be using to nurse and care for her children- this is a feminine image. However, the author shows that Elisa is too much for the task. She is described as ”her figure looked blocked in her gardening costume, a man’s hat pulled low down over her eyes.  She wore heavy leather gloves. She was cutting… with a pair of short and powerful scissors. Her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful. The chrysanthemums stems seemed too small and easy for her energy” (Steinbeck 3); this depicts how she was felling about her feminine nature. She was not comfortable with it and this shows dissatisfaction.

 Elisa is shown to have a feeling that her husband does not appreciate her feminity. This makes her antagonize towards him. It is evident that there is lack of harmony between the two partners. Instead of encouraging his wife to grow the flowers, Henry is fast to suggest that Elisa should grow apples instead. This shows that Henry does not understand Elisa’s needs this makes her vulnerable as it is depicted in the conversation they have with the tinker. The tinker arouses her feminity and sexuality because by complementing her work and praising the flowers.  Upon the tinker having attention to the flowers, Elisa’s “irritation and resistance melted away” (Steinbeck 7) it is evident that as the tinker admired the chrysanthemums, he figuratively admires Elisa.

            The story has a strong note of feminism that is portrayed through Elisa’s character.   Ideally, feminism can be interpreted as a belief that although women and men are inherent of equal worth, most societies privilege men as a group.  There is feminism in the actions that Elisa engages in, portrays her struggle as a woman. She tries to find herself in a male-dominated society.  Though at first she is depicted as a strong woman, she later becomes weak when her husband pushes her to a feminine position and asks to go out with her for dinner.

            The author first presented Elisa as a strong woman, and this is evident in her clothing. Steinbeck wrote that she wore ”a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron…”( Steinbeck 3) this shows the strength and the state of  Elisa’s body.   Additionally, the author mentions that Elisa has a ”green thumb”that makes her feel like she is equal to her husband. Elisa feminity, however, is shown when her husband asks her to go out with him for dinner.  Elisa is excited about the idea of going to dinner, but she is freaked when her husband suggests they will be going to watch the fights. ”Oh no. I wouldn’t like the fights” (Steinbeck 3) towards the end of the short story, Elisa is still contemplating about the fight, and she says” at those prize fights, do men hurt very much? I’ve read how they break noses and blood runs down their chests. I’ve read how the fight gloves get heavy and soggy with blood. Do any women ever go to the fights?” (Steinbeck 9) she seems troubled of a woman going to witness such fights.

            The society in Steinbeck’s short story is male made dominated and also male-centered.   Besides Henry viewing Elisa skills with the flowers to be futile, Elisa does not come out strongly to discredit the suggestion. At first, she agreed with the statement though she later claims it’s in her blood to attend to the flowers. Henry sees the activity of attending to the chrysanthemums as something minor. The fact that Elisa and Henry are having a conversation about soothing her treasures; she easily changes the conversation and asks about the men that Henry was talking to.  This makes Henry appears as a dominant character. It also reflects the positions of the two in their marriage life; Henry is the dominant character while Elisa is the submissive.

  The short story portrays an indication of gender stereotyping – simplistic generalizations about the gender attributes, differences, and roles.   This aspect is portrayed in the conversation that Elisa had with the tinker.  Elisa is freeing spirited and hopeful of being independent.  The author wrote that Elisa expressed her wish in a statement ”I wish women could do such thing.”(Steinbeck 6). The tinker out rightly opposes such thinking. The tinker claims that ”it ain’t the right kind of life for a woman.” The tinker reports to her that it could be a lonely life for a woman and scary life” (Tao-yun 43). Elisa is attracted to the tinker’s independent and adventurous life, but he scares her off by telling him it’s not the right job or life of a woman.  This could be an indication that women are expected to live at home and never explore the world.    The other reason why he is opposed to women living adventurous lives is that he views women as weak beings. In this society, women are expected to be soft, harmless and dependent.

Women are not free to make decisions on their own, and they rely on men’s suggestions.  It is evident in the conversation they had about going out for dinner and later go to watch fights.  When first Henry mentioned they would be going to watch fights, Elisa rejected the idea by saying No I wouldn’t like the fights” (Sweet 2). Later Elisa brings up the story and asks if there are women who go to the fights. She describes HW she had the scenes of how men fight and get soaked in blood. This makes Henry notice Elisa curiosity. Henry is moved, and he says ”I don’t think you’d like it, but I’ll take you if you really want to go”.  The response is not motivating, and Henry seems opposed to the idea of Elisa going to watch the fights. This is the reason why Elisa responds by saying” oh, no. No. I don’t want to go. I’m sure I don’t want to go”(Steinbeck 9) if  Henry had supported the idea of going to watch the fights, Elisa would have willingly joined the idea, but now that he discredits the idea makes Elisa think otherwise.

The theme of feminity is used in the short story.  Elisa dresses in a way to make her sub and notice her. However, the husband ignores it, and he goes on to propose planting better crops like the apples.  The tinker, on the other hand, recognizes Elisa’s feminity by acknowledging her Chrysanthemums (Safari 3).  Her husband had failed to do it. The tinker notices and appreciates Elisa as a skilled woman; for the first time, Elisa feels good about herself.  She then expresses herself for the first time when she is talking about the flowers.  In this paragraph the author shifts from describing Elisa as a woman having a masculine figure. The author starts describing her as an attractive woman; ”her eyes shone. She tore off her battered hat and shook out her pretty dark hair”. There is an indication that Elisa’ sexuality was aroused by the conversation, “her hand went out towards his legs in the greasy black trousers. Her hesitant fingers almost touched the cloth. Then her hand dropped to the ground. She crouched low like a fawning dog”( Sweet 4). Elisa then goes on to give the tinker a pot of chrysanthemums – this is a gesture of giving herself to him (Lonestar.edu 2).

In conclusion, the short story ”the chrysanthemums” is a story that shows women’s position in the society. Elisa is a female character who seems to be bound by the male-dominated community. First, she is overlooked by her husband simply because she does not bear children.  The opinion and thoughts and skills are not taken seriously. Her husband is opposed to her efforts in attending to the chrysanthemums; he thinks she should find something better to do. Elisa appears as a feminist when she wishes that women were free, independent and had a right to adventure. The society can’t accept it and shows a woman’s place to be at home raising kids, doing kitchen work and attending to the flowers in the garden.  Therefore there is feminism in the short story.

Works cited

Lonestar.edu. John Steinbeck’s the chrysanthemums: a woman bound by society. Lonestar College. 2018.  Accessed at http://www.lonestar.edu/chrysanthemums.htm

Safari, Nanang Wahyu Prihadi. FEMINISM VALUES IN FREEMAN’S ”THE REVOLT OF ”MOTHER””           AND STEINBECK’S ”THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS”. Diss. AHMAD DAHLAN UNIVERSITY,       2007.

Steinbeck, John. The chrysanthemums. Penguin UK, 2014.

Sweet, Charles A. ”Ms. Elisa Allen and Steinbeck’s“The Chrysanthemums”.“Modern Fiction            Studies 20.2 (1974): 210-214.

Tao-yun, XU Hong’E. ZHENG. ”The Deserted Chrysanthemum, the Devastated Female——Another Interpretation of the Eco-feminism in John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemum [J].“Journal of Chengdu University (Educational Sciences Edition) 9 (2008): 043.