When Henry approaches Elisa's garden and comments on her impressive crop of chrysanthemums, his business sensibilities cause him to wish out loud that Elisa would raise a cash crop of apples equally impressive. Is Henry incapable of getting his own price because he lacks skills in the ways of complicated or unpleasant discourse? Nevertheless, to "Celebrate" his sale, Henry offers to take Elisa out for dinner and a movie .His wife replies, "No, I wouldn't like fights." Interestingly, Elisa does not say the fights, which, as it is revealed later in the story, Elisa has been reading about all along. Elisa wants to know what her husband means by "Nice."
In “The Chrysanthemums” Elisa puts so much hard work and time into her gardening while her husband does the same with the selling of his steer, even though this makes her content for the time being, she soon realizes that maybe life has more to offer than the comforts of the ranch. Sadly, what makes Elisa finally realize these feelings is a stranger who comes about at first being obnoxious asking questions but then really gets her attention when he compliments her chrysanthemums. The way the tinker describes the beauty of her flowers and happiness with his life on the road makes Elisa have an immediate attraction for
Collecting the ingredients for the fruitcakes would be easy, but both Buddy and his friend never knew where they would get the money to pay for the assortment of things that have to go into the fruitcakes. Buddy’s friend decides to create a Fun and Freak Museum. Buddy believes that it is their, “only really profitable enterprise.” This idea of showing off their three legged hen that came from the mind of Buddy’s friend shows her thoughtfulness, which helps them to earn $12.73 to spend on ingredients. Buddy’s friend also shows thoughtfulness after she gets upset from the relatives yelling at her for giving Buddy the last few sips of whiskey. Instead of pouting in her room all day, Buddy’s friend decides that she knows a perfect place to get a tree and some holly for Christmas time.
Elisa is similar in the way she enjoys her routine. She is a 35 year old wife living on a farm in the Salinas Valley of California and growing chrysanthemums. A proof of how simple and boring her life seems is her reaction when her husband asks her if she would like to go to town for dinner and a movie. ‘’She said she would like to go to town with him like she really didn’t get to spend much time with him’’. They seem to be psychologically stable but in reality unsatisfied with their occupations.
Hidden Passion’s In John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums” imagery and symbols are used to show the repressed feminine qualities, hidden passion and feelings of inequality in the main character Elisa Allen. Who is a strong, capable woman kept from social, personal and sexual fulfillment . Elisa is a homemaker living in Salinas Valley, California with her farmer husband Henry. Elisa is a lonely woman whose days consist of nourishing and growing “chrysanthemum” flowers in her fenced in garden. Steinbeck uses the “chrysanthemum” flower, the variation of her clothing, the way she interacts with her husband and the tinker as examples of symbolism.
“Elisa has no children and her maternal instincts are shown through growing her chrysanthemums as well as other flowers. Even with the flowers and plants it still does not fill the void she has from her husband not understanding her or showing much affection toward her. Elisa has her own soul and seems like a pretty simple person she allows what her husband says and his thoughts dominate her she use’s the chrysanthemums to fulfill what she does not get from her marriage.. Henry Allen your typical male with his thoughts and how he thinks things should be “And I thought,” he continued, “I thought how it’s Saturday afternoon, and we might go into
Jonathan Tavares Prof, Shaw Eng. 102 44N 10/31/11 “The Chrysanthemums” John Steinbeck 192-198 In the well-respected short story called “The Chrysanthemums” written by John Steinbeck, he writes about a woman by the name of Elisa Allen. Elisa is described as a thirty-five-year old woman, who is a lean and strong woman who wears shapeless, functional clothing-And lives on a ranch called Salinas Valley in California in California with her husband. It was clearly mentioned in the story that Elisa has “gift “for growing things-which she is proud of. For a first time reader for me-on the kitchen reading with great intrigue, with this main character who instantly grabbed my attention.
In these works of Alice Walkers, she portrays the tangible and visible beauty of her mother’s flowers along with the emotional beauty of the warm memories. In “My Mothers Blue Bowl,” (1170) Walker reveals the beauty of selflessness from memories of her mother. Her selflessness could be shown in her struggle to provide the standard of living to raise her children that she didn’t need for herself necessarily. It is depicted in the story when she works for a nice house then after the children move she downgrades to all she needs. Her mother only wanted to possess the beauty she created with her hands, other possessions were meaningless to her.
Portrayel of women with reference to the title of the story "Excellent things in women" Sara Suleri, writes in her first chapter, “Excellent Things in Women” about the important characteristics of her female relatives. She has a keen eye for the behavior and essence of her grandmother and siblings. It is interesting to note how Suleri develops the character of her grandmother from an adult perspective and what her childhood memories add to the picture of Dadi the reader gets. As the narrative progresses Suleri shares some of her grandmother’s little idiosyncrasies such as the walking sticks she would cut down from the garden even though Suleri’s father would buy her dozens. We become familiar with Dadi’s traditional values through Suleri’s description of her grandmother sitting in the courtyard in the late afternoon winter sun.
Dorothy and her mother had a great relationship, they where always making fun of aunt Lucy and how she was the ideal mother and wife. One day, when Dorothy is a grown woman, her mother dies. Meanwhile, aunt Lucy had lost her husband and has turned 75, so she is an old lonely woman. Of gratitude for all the summer holidays Dorothy had spend at aunt Lucy’s, she invites her to stay at her place for a couple of days, so she doesn’t have to be alone while she is grieving over her sisters death. At first Dorothy can’t even recognize aunt Lucy, she has always pictured her as this kind chatty woman, but now she is cold and quiet.