AN ANALYSIS OF THE SETTING, PLOT AND SYMBOLISM IN STEINBECK'S “THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS”

An Analysis of the Setting, Plot and Symbolism in Steinbeck's

“The Chrysanthemums”



An Analysis of the Setting, Plot and Symbolism in Steinbeck's

“The Chrysanthemums”

“The Chrysanthemums” is one of the short stories of the famous American writer John Steinbeck.. Symbols are an essential part of the great short story, because they give the reader more to think about. In this essay, I would like to focus on the usage of symbols in this short story

The short story is opened by the description of the landscape in which the farm of Henry Allen is situated. I would like to write a few sentences about the setting of the story, because from my point of view it helps to create the character of Elisa Allen. Allen's farmhouse is situated in Salinas Valley, near San Jose. The valley is described as closed off from the sky and from the rest of the world. It is December and there is no sunshine, but a fog. …On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made the great valley a closed pot… This description gives us the picture of a sad atmosphere of the valley. Everyone who lives there must have the feeling of isolation from the rest of the world. In the second paragraph the narrator continues: It was a time of quiet and waiting…The life in the farm is very hard, but in this season there is not much to do. In this atmosphere of loneliness and sadness Elisa Allen starts to think about her life.

Elisa Allen is described as good-looking, very strong woman. Her face was thin and strong and her eyes were clear as water. Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's very dark hat pulled reduced down over her eyes, clodhopper footwear, a figured publish dress nearly absolutely covered by a large-scale corduroy apron… It is likely to say that this description devotes us the portrait of a usual hardworking woman that inhabits in the farm. There is nothing written about the color of her eyes, how long her hair is or how tall she is.

All the symbols of femininity are suppressed. She even wears a man's hat! From the following paragraph we know several facts about her nature. Her face was keen and mature and handsome; even her work with the pair of pair of pair of pair of scissors was over-eager, over-powerful. The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy… Elisa Allen is very energetic, keen and impatient woman. However, she loves working in her flower garden, which is kind of work that needs patience, and she lives in quite and isolated unanimated valley. Her scissors are described in the same way as she is: She was cutting down the old year's chrysanthemum stalks with a pair of short and powerful scissors…

The short story continues with the description of Allen's house. …Behind her stood the neat white farm house ...