How Exhausted Does Lisa Feel In The Chrysanthemums?

In John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums”, Elisa, the protagonist, is initially a woman who finds pleasure in her work. However, her life becomes increasingly confined by societal expectations that limit her role as a wife and homemaker. The metaphor of the valley as a “closed pot” suggests that Elisa is trapped inside an airless world, and her existence has reached a boiling point.

Elisa’s relationship with Henry changes over time, as she realizes she cannot be anyone different from who she is on her little farm with her husband. She shares characteristics with the Chrysanthemums, symbolizing beauty, strength, and the inability to go out and explore. Elisa feels trapped and doesn’t get to leave the ranch often, comparing herself to the fog because she is confined and doesn’t know where to go with her life.

In the story, Elisa feels trapped in a conventional life with no excitement, passionate love, or passion for herself. She is a hard worker, her house sparkles, and her flowers grow tremendous blooms, but she feels trapped, underappreciated, and frustrated with life. Steinbeck signals that Elisa feels trapped through the description of the setting and her dialogue with the tinkerer.

The valley as a pot closed shows that Elisa is trapped in a world where she feels tired and exhausted to be in. She mistook the tinker’s friendly overtures for isolation, leaving her dissatisfied with her life and marriage. Elisa seeks comfort when a tinker shows up looking for work, but ultimately, all the things that keep her trapped are hers: “her wire fence” or her constricting clothing.

Elisa’s devastation suggests how dissatisfied she is with her marriage and the desire to transcend the trap of being a woman. She feels that it would have been less hurtful if he had discarded her cherished chrysanthemums in the ditch or somewhere off the road, but because he kept the pot they were in, she is left feeling like a weak, old woman.

Why does Elisa cry at the end?

Eliza’s story is finally being told, as she realizes her own part in the story is being told. She spent half a century telling others’ stories, which laid the groundwork for the show to exist. Now she has a legacy of her own, as valuable as her husband’s in its own right. Phillipa Soo and Lin-Manuel Miranda have different opinions on the matter, with Soo believing there isn’t one answer to the fan theories.

How does Elisa feel about the Tinker?

In the text, Elisa is portrayed as a woman who resists giving work to a tinker, a man who represents adventure and freedom. She begins to embrace her feminine side by taking off her masculine gloves and hat, allowing her emotions to control her and freeing her central feminine sexuality. However, when she realizes her feminine emotions, her hopes for equality are betrayed by her basic nature and men.

Elisa gives the tinker the seedling and retreats indoors to find him some pots to mend. After the tinker leaves, she goes to bathe, scrubs herself until her skin is scratched and red, and unconsciously withdraws back to her feminine side. She dresses in her best underwear and applies makeup to accentuate her role as a woman. Henry notices this transformation and compliments her with the feminine “nice” instead of “strong”, which Elisa prefers.

As they drive to town, Elisa spots the flowers she gave the tinker beside the road, signaling her final retreat back to femininity. Her dreams of feminine equality are broken, and she cannot go back to being what she once was. Her only goal is to become “an old woman”, and as a result, she remains a pitiable victim of male domination and female disadvantage.

What does Elisa do at the end of The Chrysanthemums?

Following a romantic encounter with a male stranger, Elisa experiences a renewed sense of energy and zest for life. She attempts to present herself in a more attractive manner and prepares attire for her husband to wear on a romantic evening.

How do Elisa’s feelings and actions toward the stranger change over the course?

The speaker becomes animated in discussing her flowers and displays increased benevolence towards the individual, even extending an offer of employment, which the latter initially welcomes. Nevertheless, she ultimately recognizes that she has been exploited and develops resentment towards the circumstances.

What foreshadows Elisa’s feelings of being trapped?

Steinbeck’s characterization of the valley as “closed off” and “closed pot” implies that Elisa may perceive her circumstances as confining.

What Symbolises Elisa herself in the story?

Elisa’s femininity and sexuality are symbolized by the chrysanthemums, which she treats like her children, and the flowerpot represents her own self.

How does Elisa feel in The Chrysanthemums?

“The Chrysanthemums” is a short story by John Steinbeck about a woman named Elisa Allen who feels frustrated with her current life due to not having a child and her husband’s failure to admire her romantically. Elisa’s flower garden, where she cultivates beautiful chrysanthemums, serves as a symbol of her inner-self and her children.

The chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa’s children, who she cares for with love and care, just as she would handle her own children. She removes pests before they can harm the flowers, demonstrating her pride in her ability to nurture them. However, the chrysanthemums also symbolize Elisa’s femininity and sexuality. Her masculine image is evident in her hard-swept and hard-polished home, which leads to resentment towards her husband, Henry.

Elisa’s discontent with Henry stems from his inability to understand her needs, leaving her vulnerable in an encounter with a tinker. The tinker romantically describes the chrysanthemums as a “quick puff of colored smoke”, and by admiring them, he admires her. The chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa’s sexuality, and she tears off her battered hat and shakes out her dark pretty hair.

The tinker’s words change Elisa’s masculine image, replacing it with a feminine one. By giving him the red flower pot with the chrysanthemums, she gives him the symbol of her inner-self, giving her hope for herself and her marriage. As the tinker leaves, Elisa sees a bright direction and a new beginning for her marriage, giving her hope and preparing her for a more fulfilling life.

What does Elisa do at the end of the chrysanthemums?

Following a romantic encounter with a male stranger, Elisa experiences a renewed sense of energy and zest for life. She attempts to present herself in a more attractive manner and prepares attire for her husband to wear on a romantic evening.

What is the foreshadow of the story?

Foreshadowing is a narrative technique where a storyteller provides a hint of what will happen later in the story, often at the beginning. It helps develop or subvert the audience’s expectations about upcoming events. Foreshadowing can be used in various ways, such as character dialogues, plot events, and changes in setting. The title of a work or chapter can also serve as a clue. In fiction, foreshadowing creates an atmosphere of suspense, attracting readers and adding dramatic tension. It can make extraordinary and bizarre events appear credible, and some events are predicted to make the audience feel they anticipated them.

What makes Elisa sad at the end?

Elisa expressed regret that her flowers were discarded on the roadside rather than in a ditch or off the road. She believed that disposing of the flowers in a different location would have been a less distressing alternative.

Why does Elisa almost touch the Tinker’s leg?

The tinker becomes uncomfortable and reveals that his “planters’ hands” are similar to his nightly experiences in his wagon. Elisa interrupts, insisting she knows how he feels and describes the quiet night sky and stars. She nearly touches the tinker but drops her hands to the ground, crouching low like a fawning dog. Elisa’s sexual attraction to the tinker reflects her loneliness and isolation, and her knowledge of the chrysanthemums and her “planters’ hands” makes her a type of authority. Her description of the night sky becomes an orgasm, and she nearly touches the tinker before dropping her hands.

The tinker explains that the night sky is difficult to enjoy on an empty stomach. Elisa hands him a pot of chrysanthemum sprouts and offers him a broken saucepan. As the tinker is not interested in Elisa or her chrysanthemums, he interrupts her sexual display to remind her that he is hungry and is in search of work to buy dinner.