Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”, at first glance, seems to be a story about a woman and her passion for gardening. After the initial reading, however, this story’s plot screams feminism. In Steinbeck’s portrayal of the central character Elisa Allen, Elisa’s appearance, actions, and speech depict the frustration women felt in the 1930’s. These actions and feelings are Steinbeck’s examples of the external and internal conflicts of one woman, Elisa, trying and failing to emasculate herself in this male-dominated society. The external conflict is evident from Steinbeck’s introduction of the protagonist Elisa. He describes her figure as blocked and heavy, because she is wearing heavy gloves, heavy shoes, a man’s black hat, and a big apron that hides her print dress. Her home is described as being hard-swept and hard-polished (Steinbeck 176). These descriptions give one the feeling that Elisa is a woman unhappy with the traditional female role and is attempting to extend her abilities into masculine areas. Elisa is a strong woman because of her manly qualities. Her masculinity shines through because of the way she covers up. The squatting position she takes to work in her garden is not at all the feminine w