Symbolism in The Chrysanthemums

Symbolism in The Chrysanthemums

Symbolism in The Chrysanthemums
Many times descriptions that are used to describe an object or idea can be carried over to represent a characters thoughts or actions. Symbolism means to use a specific word, idea, or ob-ject that may stand for ideas, values, persons, or ways of life. In the short story The Chrysanthe-mums, by John Steinbeck, Elisa has been trapped and unappreciated in her life. She eventually starts to break out of her shell and show what a strong person she is on the inside, only to be thrown back into the realty of her circumstances in the end. John Steinbeck uses the chrysanthe-mum garden and its’ surroundings to symbolize the thoughts and actions of the main character, Elisa Allen.
All seems normal from an outside perspective of Elisa’s picture perfect life. She keeps things organized and precise in her home as well as in her beloved garden where “She pulled out the little crisp shoots, trimmed off the leaves of each one with her scissors and laid it on a small orderly pile.”(par. 26)   On the other hand, her own appearance is rough, hair frazzled, and often times she is dressed in frumpy attire. “Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening cos-tume, a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes”(par. 5) Just as her flowers have a tough exterior, they too are beautiful underneath.
Elisa is neglected emotionally by her husband and when he is working in the fields for long hours, she is left alone. Unappreciated and overlooked, she watches the events happening around her, but never leaves the protection of her fenced in garden to be included. It seems that adventure and business is a life for men to handle, not women as “Elisa Allen, working in her flower garden, looked down across the yard and saw Henry, her husband, talking to two men in business suits.” (par. 4) The circumstances of her life inspire her to work even harder in her gar-den as though there she is part of something special.
She...