When Are The Chrysanthemums Due To Bloom?

“The Chrysanthemums” is a 1937 short story by John Steinbeck, set in the Salinas Valley, California during the Great Depression. The story revolves around Elisa Allen, a 35-year-old woman living on a ranch in the valley. The setting of the story is the Salinas Valley, which is often referred to as “Steinbeck Country”. The story takes place in the late 1920s or early 1930s, with the high grey-flannel fog of winter closing off the valley from the sky and from all.

The story explores themes of the Great Depression, particularly the importance of cutting chrysanthemums about eight inches from the ground in July before they take root. The setting, particularly the garden and surrounding countryside, plays a crucial role in creating the story’s overall mood and themes. Steinbeck’s vivid and detailed descriptions of the Salinas Valley play a significant role in creating the story’s overall mood and themes.

The story was first published in Harper’s Magazine in October 1937, and it was part of Steinbeck’s 1938 short story collection, The Long Valley. The story is set in the Salinas Valley, which is known for its beautiful landscapes and the importance of chrysanthemums in the life of a woman.

In summary, “The Chrysanthemums” is a classic American short story that explores themes of the Great Depression and the Salinas Valley.

What time period is the flowers set in?

“The Flowers” is set in the post-slavery era of the American South, likely in the period following the Civil War. The protagonist, Myop, and her family reside in a sharecropper cabin, which enables them to benefit from crop profits and live on the land.

Why does Elisa cry?

In “The Chrysanthemums,” Elisa’s tears following the tinker’s disposal of the chrysanthemums symbolize her rejection of her femininity and sexuality, not merely the act itself.

Why is Elisa unhappy 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 is the setting of The Chrysanthemums?

Steinbeck’s novel “The Chrysanthemums” is set in California’s Salinas Valley, the same region where he also wrote “Tortilla Flat,” “Cannery Row,” and “East of Eden.”

Where do The Chrysanthemums take place?

“The Chrysanthemums” is a novel by John Steinbeck set in the Salinas Valley during the Great Depression. The story revolves around Elisa Allen, a farmer’s wife, and explores themes of isolation, gender roles, and unfulfilled desires. Steinbeck uses the symbolism of herchrysanthemums to highlight the limitations placed on women in society and their struggle for self-expression. While the inspiration for the story may not be solely based on Steinbeck’s personal experiences, some elements could be considered autobiographical. Steinbeck studied botany and biology at Stanford University and had a sustained interest in these subjects.

Is The Chrysanthemums a feminist story?

“The Chrysanthemums” is a classic short story by Steinbeck that has gained popularity in recent decades due to its portrayal of female consciousness and inclusion in the feminist canon. The story revolves around Elisa Allen, a strong, capable woman who is kept from personal, social, and sexual fulfillment by her husband’s passive role. When an itinerant tinker arrives, Elisa’s yearnings for a larger life are awakened, but she is rejected by the tinker, leaving her a victim of male domination and female disadvantage.

The author questions whether the story as it appears in criticism is the one Steinbeck wrote. He suggests that the prevailing interpretation fails to square with the story’s figurative design and structure, where the female protagonist appears to be less a woman imprisoned by men than one who secures herself within a fortress of sexual reticence and self-withholding defensiveness. The story’s central image and recurring action are a virtual obverse of the feminist view of a woman smothered by male domination.

The author also questions whether Steinbeck’s feelings about his marriage at the time the story was written were different from those of the implied author who would have written the essentially feminist version of the story. The two stories are often juxtaposed in discussions of Steinbeck’s short fiction, with the presumption that the former is sympathetic to the female protagonist’s plight and the latter is clearly not.

In balance, the author believes that “The Chrysanthemums” supports the opposite conclusion, showing that although there are minor differences between Elisa and Mary Teller, physically and emotionally they are very much the same woman presented in different fictional contexts.

What do the scissors symbolize in The Chrysanthemums?

“The Chrysanthemums” by Steinbeck explores the theme of scissors, a symbol of masculine power and control. Elisa, a woman with a special pocket in her apron, uses scissors to trim the previous season’s growth in her chrysanthemum garden. Her use of scissors suggests a stifling of her potential and assertive care for new growth. When a tinker arrives on Elisa’s property, their conversation revolves around scissors.

Steinbeck highlights the tool by misspelling “sisors” on the side of the tinker’s wagon, and the tinker boasts about his ability to sharpen even the dullest blades. This suggests a certain manly prowess, but the misspelling subtly mocks the tinker’s expertise in contrast to Elisa’s.

Despite her proficiency with scissors, Elisa’s power is unavailable to her due to her gender. The tinker tells her his lifestyle would be a lonely life for a woman. The Chrysanthemums quotes all refer to the symbol of scissors, with each theme indicated by its own dot and icon.

How do The Chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa?

The story revolves around Elisa, a woman with limited potential, who is symbolized by her chrysanthemums. These flowers symbolize her beauty and her innate ability to create and sustain life. Elisa’s garden plot is meticulously maintained, and she cares for the flowers as if they were her children. When a tinker arrives, she becomes one with the plants and offers herself to him sexually.

However, Elisa is confined to her limited life, as she is a woman, particularly a farmer’s wife, and is restricted by society to the roles of caregiver and housewife. By offering some bulbs to the tinker, Elisa gives part of herself to him, hoping to escape the monotony of her life. However, the tinker callsously tosses the flowers aside, representing his rejection of Elisa and the broader societal thwarting of her attempts to seek more out of life.

The Chrysanthemums quotes all refer to the symbol of Chrysanthemums, with each theme indicated by its own dot and icon. For example, Henry observed that Elisa had a gift with things, and he wishes she would work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big.

What is the time period of The Chrysanthemums?

Elisa, a woman in Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”, undergoes a regression from her ideal of equality to a submissive role due to her frustration with male-dominated society. This leads her to abandon her dreams for liberation and conform to societal expectations. Steinbeck portrays women in his time, with Elisa representing women of the 1930s, embodying the feminine ideal of equality and its inevitable defeat.

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.

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.