Bingcheng Peng
Mary Frauley
603-101 MQ-02
20 September
Have you ever heard of John Steinbeck? A famous American writer extremely gifted for create heart-touching stories in the 1930’s who was born in the early 1900. Until today, his stories have inspired us deeply from many perspectives of live, some of them define as book for high school’s education in the United States. Back in the days, he wrote ‘’Chrysanthemums’’ as a part of his collection The Long Valley. For many years, different researchers discuss on the topic of significance behind the title ‘’The Chrysanthemums’’, which stands for the name of a flower. In the light of the literature, several significances are contributed to this title to stand out the different messages of author behind the story. One of the most successful literature master-piece of John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck is famous American writer, extremely gifted for create heart-touching stories in the 1930’s, born in the early 1900. Until today, his stories have inspired us deeply from many perspectives of live, some of them define as book for high school’s education in the United States. Back in the days, he wrote ‘’Chrysanthemums’’ as a part of his collection The Long Valley which stands for the name of a flower. In the light of the literature, several significances are contributed to this title to stand out the different messages of author behind the story. (1)John Steinbeck is a famous American writer extremely gifted who speaks for people with special case or difficulty in their life. Additionally, he shares stories with different angle on the social perception at 1United States back in the early of 1900’s. As shown above, many of
John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums" is about a proud, strong woman named Elisa Allen who feels frustrated with her present life. Her frustration stems from not having a child and from her husband's failure to admire her romantically as a woman. The only outlet for her frustration is her flower garden where she cultivates beautiful 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. Elisa is very protective of her flowers and places a wire fence around them; she makes sure "[n]o aphids, no sowbugs or snails or cutworms" are there. "Her terrier fingers [destroy] such pests before they [can] get started" (240). These pests represent natural harm to the flowers, and, just as any good mother, she removes them before they can harm her children. The chrysanthemums are symbolic of her children, and she is very proud of them. When Elisa's husband compliments her on her flowers, she is proud, and "on her face there [is] a little smugness"(240). She is happy and pleased by her ability to nurture these beautiful flowers. Elisa's pride in her ability to grow such beauti...