John Steinbeck's “The Chrysanthemums”

Introduction

“The Chrysanthemums” was initially published in Harper's issue of October 1937. It was in “The Long Valley”, Steinbeck's short story collection. In various manners, this story of a miserable marriage is representative of Steinbeck's fiction. “The Chrysanthemums” deals with individuals at odds with an unjust society. This dynamic in his literature is one that you will recognize in "The Chrysanthemums," which many consider Steinbeck's most accomplished short story.

Discussion

“The Chrysanthemums” has variously been praised as a masterpiece, one of the finest stories in American literature and a story that “seems almost perfect in form and style.” In ...