Theme Of Gender In The Chrysanthemums

The tinker is the man that started the change on how Elisa was begging to feel about herself that she wasn 't just a women. The tinker which a man which stubble on the Elisa working outside. The tinker hopped out to ask for direction to the highway which then sparked conversation with Elisa that changed it all. Elisa engaged with the tinker to show him on how to return to the highway the man to intrigued had then to notice the little

Since the dawn of the patriarchal society, women have always strived to be recognized as equals of men. Female visionaries speak words of feminism and empowerment to encourage other women to stand up, be heard and be noticed. In the short stories “The Chrysanthemums” and “A Worn Path” by John Steinbeck and Eudora Welty, respectively, both authors give their portrayal of women in slightly similar but seemingly different ways. Though both stories provide insight on what women can do with the abilities they have, the authors give their own illustrations on women’s true strength. Looking first at Steinbeck’s

The novel The Sign Of The Chrysanthemum takes place in Japan during the 12th century. This novel is about a boy named Muna, meaning “no name”, that has moved from a rural part of Japan to the city, Kyoto. He was told that his father had a Chrysanthemum tattooed on his arm. Muna sets out to find his father after only knowing this little information about him. Muna was also told that his father was a Heike warrior, which brings up this conflict between two feuding clans. During this time period in Japan there was a conflict between the Heike and the Genji clans. The reason behind their fighting is because of the conflict over political power of Japan. Muna embarks on his journey

Throughout history, women have been put below men and have not been treated as equals, this story is no different. Women and flowers have always been associated, but in this story, it is a very different kind of correlation. The chrysanthemums represent the main character, Elisa, as a woman and reflect on the way she views herself and, more specifically, her life.

From all areas of the world, people have been changing their forms of government in an attempt to decide on what’s best for their country. Apart from most, Communism is targeted toward making all equal, and it eliminates the concept of a dictator. The contradictory fact is that the concept fails when people cannot reach an agreement themselves, and then they realize a leader is needed to make the final decisions. Of course, with greed to be on top, people do not stray from this empty position for long. As unfortunate as it is, even when people decide to become equal, someone always wants to be the king. When this thirst for power is between men and women rather than the dictator and the country, men try to be in control while women serve

I chose this particular passage because Crake’s comment about female artists angered me, and I wanted to look further into the rest of the passage. Jimmy’s frustrations with Crake mirror my own when trying to explain the importance of art to strictly science focused people. Crake’s mockery of Jimmy and disinterest truly made me angry in this passage, and I felt a connection to Jimmy desperately trying to defend something important to him. The discussion Jimmy has with Crake in this passage begins when Crake mentions that torment over relationships is needless suffering, and in his vision, humans would be better off being mated for life or completely promiscuous. Jimmy argues that Crake’s idea would take the choice and courtship out of relationships.

Although women still suffer from the constant backlash of sexism in modern day life; unfortunately, the odds against women were stacked even higher in the American society of the 1930’s. The first major theme that is evident in “The Chrysanthemums” revolves around Elisa’s conflict between two sides of herself that contradict themselves and her role in society. When Elisa is introduced in the story she is described as having a “lean and strong” face along with a figure that “looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume” which naturally creates an image of masculinity surrounding, or covering, her (Steinbeck 1). This initial characterization suggests that Elisa is strong and sturdy; however, this aura of masculinity is actually due to her

    In romantic or sexual context, a woman is often said to be as beautiful as a flower. In John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums", Elisa Allen never receives this recognition. Although she is a strong woman, she is frustrated because her husband will not admire her romantically in any way. This frustration only deepens because she is childless and feels the need to be a mother. She discovers an outlet for her frustration in a flower garden where she cultivates beautiful chrysanthemums. Steinbeck uses these elegant flowers as a symbol to represent the tender, inner-self of all women, including Elisa.

Like many short stories, John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” deceives most readers by appearing to be a simple short story. “The Chrysanthemums,” which only occupies about eight pages in textbooks, captures the emotional pain of a woman trying to live in the 1930’s. As critic Stanley Renner wrote, “’The Chrysanthemums’” shows “a strong capable woman kept from personal, social, and sexual fulfillment by the prevailing conception of a woman’s role in a world dominated by men” (Renner 306). Elisa Allen, the only female in “The Chrysanthemums” displays her sexual frustrations throughout the short story by slipping in and out of masculine and feminine characteristics.

     The short story “The Chrysanthemums” shows how extraordinarily forward thinking the author, John Steinbeck, was in his understanding of the pressures that women dealt with in his time. Through the exploration and illustration of women’s emotions, Steinbeck gives us a view into the struggle of women in the early 20th century to find a place for themselves in society as well as establishing their own sexuality(Charters, 502).

in Skredsvig). Therefore, in this particular scene we can perfectly see how Elisa is restricted to the house and garden, and not allowed to participate in business (the outside world). However, with “hard swept looking little hose, hard-polished windows, and clean mud-mat on the front steps” of the house (Steinbeck 182), Elisa shows to be a very “over-powerful” and “over-eager” women whose routine becomes too easy (182). Cleaning and gardening were not enough to fulfil such a powerful, diligent, and strong woman.

As mammals, humans seek to fulfill their most intense desires. They seek to eat when hungered, drink when overcome with thirst, and even seek pleasure when their sexual desire is peaked. Women bring their needs further by often having the urge to bare children. In John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums” a woman seeks out her sexual and fertility needs by the only way she can. Elisa, a thirty-five-year-old farmer’s wife, tends to her flowers and it is in the care, love, and attention she gives that shows these flowers are much more to her.

Women can now perform tasks much better than men can do and no one can be able to prevent them from achieving things that they desire in life because what drives them is stronger than the forces against them. However there are still a number of women today that have low self-esteem and confidence issues. The restoration on confidence and self-esteem depends on the people that surround them in order for them to believe in themselves. In this story there is this women that is pictured as a strong women but at the end of the day she struggles with her inner feelings. In the story “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck, Elisa is a women stuck in a life she cannot escape from in which she conforms herself to stay.

Within the closed pot, Elisa is even more isolated from the world and emphases her confinement. She feels trapped, as she has no independence and force to do in the repetition tasks everyday; keeping the house immaculate and working on the garden, these make her abandon her femininity and are the only two things she does during her day. When she talks with the tinker, she feels envious of his life style of traveling all around the continent and meeting various people for business: “She wishes women could do such things” (709) as men do. As a woman, she knows her limitations, where the men of her society believe that “it ain’t the right kind of a life for a woman” (709). When the tinker leaves the house “Elisa stood in front of her wire fence watching … [the tinker’s wagon]” (709) slowly move out. The wire fence represents the edge of the boundary where she can reach while looking at how much freedom men can have in contrast to

The Chrysanthemums” is symbolic of a society that has no place for intelligent women. Elisa is smart, energetic, attractive, and determined. Unfortunately, due to her gender, all these qualities go to waste. Although, the two key men in the story are less interesting and talented than Elisa, their lives are far more fulfilling and busy. Henry is not as intelligent as Elisa, but he who runs the ranch, supports himself and his wife, and makes business deals. All Elisa can do is watch him as he performs his job. Whatever information she gets about the management of the ranch comes secondarily from Henry, who speaks only in unclear, arrogant terms instead of treating his wife as an equal partner. The tinker seems brighter than Henry but doesn’t