Analysis of The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck - Book Report/Review Example

Analysis of "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck "The Chrysanthemums" is a story about birth,life and renewal. The reader understands from the beginning that life can grow out of darkness or out of barren places. The reader is first introduced to the land instead of the characters in the story. Because of this, by the time the reader meets Elisa Allen, it "feels" like she is a lot older than she is in actuality. The introduction gives the impression of a barren land so the reader assumes that this woman must also be old. Phrases like, "the high gray-flannel fog of winter," "on the broad, level land floor" and "it was a time of quiet and of waiting" (1) give the story a setting of a quiet and dusty land. The reader first meets Elisa Allen as she is planting and tending to her chrysanthemums in her garden. At first Elisa seems happy as she cuts down the stalks of the chrysanthemums, preparing them for next year. However, there are subtle clues that she is not. As an example, she is described as having a lean and strong face, and clear eyes (1). Her figure though is "blocked" and "heavy" in the "costume" she is wearing for gardening. It is particularly interesting that the word "costume" is used because it implies that what she is doing is not real. Costumes are used for play, for becoming something that one is not, or for dressing up in a particular way for a party or social event. Costume may symbolize that she has more than one identity: the "old" woman who lives on this dark ranch and the other woman who has passion and a lust for life. The "new green chrysanthemum sprouts that were growing around the old roots" (2) is another symbol of life and renewal. On the one hand, this new growth is evolving around the dying roots while Elisa continues to work. They seem to know what Elisa wants from them and they are dutiful to follow her lead. Elisas husband Henry has no age, but he is shown as a true rancher. He is a cattleman and has sold 30 heads of 3 year old steers. There is vibrant life all around Elisa but she seems to ignore it. As the story progresses, the reader finds that Elisas life is somewhat like the steers because she is stuck in a situation that she must endure, but at the same time she longs for something more exciting. In the next scene, the story goes back to a sense of beauty growing out of something old. An old wagon comes up the road and it is drawn by an "old bay horse" and a "little grey and white burro" (3). The theme of life and death is brought together here and it is a secondary theme in the story. The wagon has "crooked old wheels" and it is accompanied by a "rangy dog" (3). All of these are symbols of the old aspects of life. Does Elisa feel old among all of these old things? Does she feel that she wants to change her old routine for something new? We find the answers to these questions as she interacts with the tinker. Although the tinker is described as "not old", he has many characteristics of an old man: he is stiff as he climbs down from the wagon, he has calloused hands that are cracked and he has a battered hat; he also repairs old pots and pans (4). These old things symbolize the dying spirit inside Elisa. Although Elisa never complains, this dying spirit is shown in many ways. The fact that her "costume" includes "a mans black hat pulled low down over her eyes and clod-hopper shoes" (1) point to the fact that she does not want to be seen but is part of the scenery at the farm. This suggests that she really has no purpose until the gets to the garden each year. Her interaction with the tinker is at first tentative. She is not used to strangers and is not interested in him, until he starts asking about the chrysanthemums. The tinker wants to make a sale and he does not care how he makes it. He is persistent with her and finally finds the opportunity he is waiting for with the flowers. Elisa is wary of this stranger but when he says he wants to take some of the chrysanthemums to another of his clients, she gets excited, "alert and eager." (5) She starts to talk with him and even suggests that she could to the same work as he does and maybe she will do it one day. The reader gets a sense that she is flirting with him because she thinks he understands her passion as another creative person. She is swept up by the sexual tension that happens when two creative people come together and are on common ground; unfortunately, he does not understand this about her … he just wants to make a sale. The chrysanthemums seem to be the symbol of life for Elisa. In one sense, these budding plants are like her children and she is excited that someone else has shown interest in them. She takes special care of them and expects that the tinker will also take good care of them. She is passionate about these flowers and she explains that she has a gift for making things grow which she calls, "planting hands." She describes the intuitive nature of planting and this brings her fully into life. An interesting thing to note is that Elisa is attracted to him and she almost touches this stranger because of the passion she is feeling (7). The tinker is not feeling the same way towards Elisa. She is reminded by him that he needs something to do so that he can eat, and since he has taken some of the chrysanthemums, she finds a couple of pots for him to fix. Elisa continues flirting with the tinker when she says that she could give him competition and show him "what a woman might do" (8). The tinker counters by stating that his life would be a "lonely and scary life" for a woman (8), clearly thwarting her advances. Now that he has his money, he is ready to move on. After this encounter and the passing on of the chrysanthemums, Elisa is renewed: "her shoulders were straight, her head thrown back, her eyes half-closed" (8). It is as if she can go on with her life because this thinker has "saved" her from her former death of spirit on the ranch. In other words, her spirit is renewed. Elisa has opened her soul to this man and shared her passion with him; she thinks she has found a kindred spirit. With her renewed sprit, Elisa is feeling on top of the world. It is as though the renewal of spirit will take her on to bigger and better things in her life. The conversation with her husband about her strength showed that she understood that she was a stronger woman than she thought. Women had to be strong physically when they lived and worked the ranch, but it seemed as though Elisa had lost some of her inner strength over time. There is no mention of children and the "blocked" and "heavy" aspects of her gardening costume could have been a symbol of her blocked and heavy heart. She may not have the ability to have children which would be a reason why she may have lost some of her spirit. Now she is getting it back and she has decided to live her life differently. Unfortunately, Elisas spirit dies again when she finds out that the tinker betrayed her trust. She is devastated when she sees that her hard work, her "children" have been cast adrift on the side of the road where they will be destroyed. She entrusted her chrysanthemums to this stranger who she thought was trustworthy and she finds that he did not care (10). He has wounded her and although she has renewed her spirit, she knows in her heart that when she gets back to the ranch, she will be going back to the death of her spirit. Her husband makes the remark that they should go out more often because they "get so heavy" when they are at the ranch. Her heaviness is in her heart. We also know that she is feeling old because "she turned up her coat collar so he [her husband] could not see that she was crying weakly--like an old woman" (10). This ending phrase gives the reader confirmation that Elisa is old before her time. She longs for something to do but she does not know how to make it happen. Read More