CONTEXTUAL SYMBOLISM IN “THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS”

In the story, “The Chrysanthemums,” by John Steinbeck, there are several contextual symbols which serve to enhance the overall theme of the story: life’s struggles in rural America. These struggles are often hidden from others, as seen from the experiences and feelings of the character Elisa Allen. Therefore, these symbols represent the aspirations and the frustrations of Elisa; and they help to convey the opinions of the author regarding farm life.
Initially, the reader is introduced to Elisa Allen while she is tending her garden of chrysanthemums. She is hard at work, and clearly she has a natural talent for growing these flowers. The work she puts into these flowers demonstrates the value of the flowers to Elisa. Then, her husbands comes over to her and comments on the flowers. The story reads: “‘At it again…you’ve got a gift with things,’ Henry observed. ‘Some of those yellow chrysanthemums you had these years were ten inches across. I’d wish you’d work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big.’” Evidently, Henry does not care too much for Elisa’s growing of flowers. He believes that Elisa’s work could be better put to use in other areas of the farm; after all, farm life requires a substantial amount of work. However, he does not realize why Elisa grows the flowers; and he cannot be blamed for this lack of understanding because Elisa does not show clear signs of her motives. In reality, Elisa considers the chrysanthemums as representative of her aspirations in life. She desires to be a strong, beautiful woman. Nevertheless, Elisa feels tied down by her farm life and by her husband. Although she does not blame her husband for her hidden misery, she knows that being with him is part of the problem. Therefore, Elisa continues to grow her flowers in spite of her husband and the work that has to be done around the farm. She prefers to let her other work pile up, causing her to have to work more later, but she will never give up growing the flowers. Elisa knows that, if she stops growing the flowers, she will effectively give up on those elements the flowers represent for her, her aspirations and her dreams.
Moreover, the chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa herself. When her husband leaves and the man in the wagon arrives, Elisa is very cold and apprehensive toward the man. She insists several times that she does not have anything for the man to fix. However, her attitude completely changes when the man mentions the chrysanthemums. He notes that they are very rare and that he would like to take some flowers, if possible. The story says: “‘Why yes you can,’ Elisa cried... Her eyes shone. She tore off the battered hat and shook out her dark pretty hair. ‘I’ll put them [the flowers] in a flower pot, and you can take them right with you. Come into the yard.’” This change in attitude demonstrates how important the flowers are to Elisa. In her view, the man’s acknowledgement of the flowers symbolize that, for once, someone has finally noticed her, her beauty, and her hard work. Moreover, the man wants to take some of the flowers, symbolizing that the man deems Elisa’s essence worthy of being taken to other places. Such a gesture delights Elisa and drives her to invite the man into the farm and to look for pots that he can fix. Indeed, the flowers hold a very important place within Elisa because they represent Elisa herself, with all of her dreams, aspirations, and frustrations.
Additionally, there are other contextual symbols which serve to support the symbolic power of the chrysanthemums; the clothes worn by the characters are one such symbol. When the story begins, both Henry and Elisa are dressed in farm clothes. These clothes are worn out because they are used for hard labor in the farm. They symbolize the burden Elisa feels. As already mentioned, she takes off her farming hat to reveal her beautiful hair, as if the hat were hiding her true self. When Henry and Elisa are going to the city, they bathe and put on their best attire. On their way, Elisa sees the wagon on the road. She does not look at the man. However, she knows that the man holds her true essence in the form of the flowers she had given him. When talking to her husband, she is saddened by the fact that it is a complete stranger who knows who really is, instead, of her husband. The story ends saying: “‘It will be enough if we have wine. It will be plenty.’ She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying.’” Indeed, the ending of the story reveals the true frustrations of Elisa with her life and asserts the author’s idea of farm life being one filled with frustration, misery, and sense of worthlessness.
In conclusion, this story contains some very powerful contextual symbols. Reflective of the title, the most important symbol are the chrysanthemums, representative of Elisa’s true persona. Complementing the chrysanthemums are the clothes of the characters, symbolic of the burdening effect farm life has on Elisa. In agreement with the author’s opinions of farm life, these symbols function to convey the hardships experienced by individuals on farms.