The Chrysanthemums Essay Research Paper — страница 2

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she prepares for an outing with her husband. She “tightened her stomach and threw out her chest .She put on her newest under-clothing and her nicest stocking and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness. She worked carefully on her hair, penciled her eyebrows and rouged her lips.” All this because one man took interest in her private pleasure chrysanthemums. Because she lived such a secluded life as a housewife, Elisa apparently never made the effort before to look pretty, as seen when her husband “stops short,” looks at her and says, “Why-why, Elisa. You look so nice!” He goes on to say she looks “different, strong, and happy.” Indeed, Elisa has seemed to have undergone a complete metamorphosis from being an average housewife to a confident woman. She

boasts, “I am strong. I never knew before how strong.” Furthermore, she makes requests that she probably has never asked for in the past such as wine at dinner. She also shows a sudden interest in the prize fights which she had been quick to reject in the past. This illustrates her emergence from the norm her husband knew so well. Unfortunately, at the conclusion of Steinbeck’s short story, Steinbeck has her fall right back into the rut she so despised. She comes back to reality and “turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly-like an old woman.” Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” offers an array of different details concerning the character of Elisa Allen. The main detail being that she is a strong woman on the inside although she seems

to struggle in showing it throughout the story. Because of the “Pot Fixer,” she is able to act, albeit for a short time, like that strong woman. One must ask themselves after reading this short story, if Elisa will continue this discontented lifestyle or will she finally blossom once and for all like one of her chrysanthemums?