Monday, September 1, 2008

The Chrysanthemums

This short story by John Steinbeck is a portrait of a middle aged woman who lives on a ranch with her husband. Her hobby is tending her garden of chrysanthemums, which she cares for greatly. however, her garden is also more than a hobby. The Chrysanthemums seem to change in their description along with Eliza. At the outset of the story, Eliza is depicted as being "lean and strong". However, by the end of the story, she is quietly sobbing to herself. She is also described using more masculine terms at the beginning; terms such as "mature", "handsome", and "over-powerful". At the end she is "crying weakly" over her chrysanthemums. Similarly, the state of the chrysanthemums seems to reflect this change. They go from being healthy old stalks to discarded little sprouts. In this way, they seem to function as an emotional barometer for Eliza.

2 comments:

Nhart said...

I'm impressed at how you were able to pick up the underlying messages of the story. I on the other hand tend to get caught up in details and all together ignore the hidden meaning.

Woody said...

I like how you stated that the flowers reflected Elizas change. They go from being healthy old stalks to discarded little sprouts. It made me think of the story in a different way that I did not see the flowers reflecting her life at all.