Women are passionate, creative and powerful creatures. John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” takes a look at one woman’s struggle to be who she is within the confines of the world in which she lives. Elisa Allen is a strong and gifted woman, but she finds herself restrained by society. She is confident in her gifts and speaks with excitement about what she calls her “planters’ hands” (353). She has an amazing ability to work with plants which seems to be an innate part of her. We learn that Elisa yearns for something beyond her life on the ranch, and that she may have even contemplated taking action to attain that something. However, by the end of the story she seems to have sadly resigned herself to the idea that she will not ever experience life outside of the ranch. Steinbeck’s story demonstrates how women’s spirits can be damaged when they are restrained by the expectations and confines of society.
Elisa is physically and mentally strong. According to Steinbeck, “her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful. The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy” (350). This passage tells us that Elisa is strong enough to do much more than just grow flowers. She is capable of more than society expects of her. When her husband speaks to her about the strength of her coming crop she replies with smugness on her face and in her tone (351). She knows her crop, is going to be strong. She is sure of herself and her abilities. When she first speaks to the traveling man, she directs him with confidence about his route and about his team’s abilities (352). She is not intimidated by the man and she is sure of her own wisdom. Although Elisa is powerful in mind and body, she does find herself limited by the ideas of others.
Elisa expresses her discontent about the limitations placed on women by society when she speaks to the traveling man. She talks about his kind of life and says, “It must be very nice. I wish women could do such things” (354). She doesn’t say, “Woman should do these things”, or “Women could do these things”. She says that she “wishes”. This shows her understanding that women are limited in the things they are allowed to do. But what is keeping them from doing those things is not lack of ability, but the expectations of society as a whole. The traveler seems to represent the society of Elisa’s time. He immediately dismisses her feelings and responds, “It ain’t the right kind of life for a woman” (354) He is making a judgment that he must believe he is qualified to make, or perhaps he is simply echoing the attitudes of the people of his time. This response seems to make Elisa angry, and there is a moment in the story where one might believe that her anger has empowered her to take action, and to go live this kind of life, perhaps on her own. Elisa alludes to this idea when she says, “You might be surprised to have a rival some time. I can sharpen scissors, too. And I can beat the dents out of little pots. I could show you what a woman might do” (354). Elisa seems to be thinking seriously about hitting the road for a different kind of life. One wonders if she’s given any thought as to how a change like this might affect her marriage. Certainly in the 1930’s, or any other time for that matter, a man would be unlikely to leave his livelihood to join his wife on such an adventure. Elisa’s idea seems to have been brought on by her indignation at what the traveler said to her; however, the author implies that the idea doesn’t fade and it seems to stick with her throughout most of the day. When the stranger leaves, she watches him go and notes, “That’s a bright direction. There’s a glowing there” (354). This is in stark contrast with the description of Elisa’s surroundings. Steinbeck describes the fog, “On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot” (350). This “closed pot” (350) must symbolize Elisa’s feeling of being closed off from the rest of the world, and the brightness alludes to her way out. Elisa seems at her strongest at this moment and could be entertaining dreams of escape and adventure. She seems to be struggling internally with her own desires and with the expectations that others place on her. While Elisa does have moments of great empowerment, in the end she seems defeated.
By the time Elisa leaves for her date she is transformed, strong and radiant, but on the road she sees something that changes her demeanor. The traveling man has tossed away her beautiful chrysanthemum sprouts and left them on the road. The author seems to be telling us that the chrysanthemums, like Elisa’s desires and dreams, will never grow to be what they could have been because they have been discarded and trampled. When Elisa sees this she seems defeated. She goes limp, and she cries weakly (356). Her strong spirit has been injured, and so she decides to make do. She tells her husband, “It will be enough if we can have wine. It will be plenty” (356). This implies that though she wanted much more for herself, she has settled for what she has. She has given up.
Like the traveler, society has presumed to know what kind of life is right for a woman. However, as Elisa demanded of the man “How do you know? How can you tell?” (354) The truth is that no one can know what is right for a woman, except herself. Women are full of gifts and passions that must be expressed freely. Women should not be restrained by society or by anyone. If they are restrained the powerful and beautiful spirits that they possess may be damaged or destroyed. That loss would be too heavy a price for the world to pay.
Work Cited
Steinbeck, John. “The Chrysanthemums.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing.
Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5th Compact ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 350-356. Print.
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