Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck. Specifically

¶ … Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck. Specifically it will discuss two different forms of symbolism in the story. The flowers in this story are quite symbolic. They represent life and the frailty of life, and they represent the main character Elisa and her life. The chrysanthemums in Steinbeck's story are symbols of life, but they are also symbols of the frailty of life, and how people take other people for granted.

They live when Elisa nurtures them carefully, but they clearly take special care and love for them to really flourish and thrive. Steinbeck shows how she nurtures the flowers, just like children. He writes, "Back at the chrysanthemum bed 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" (Steinbeck). The flowers are beautiful only for a short time, and they grow old and die after they bloom.

All of this symbolizes the human life cycle that is inevitable. The chrysanthemums are only beautiful and vital for a short time, just like people are. Elisa understands the flowers in her garden better than she understands herself, and this is common with most people, too. The flowers are safe, and she can share herself with them - more than she shares with her own husband. This is also common in life.

People live with someone so long, they seem to take them for granted, just as Eliza and her husband seem to take each other for granted. They do not share much with each other, and they do not have much excitement in their lives. The flowers seem to be the most important thing in Eliza's life because she can nurture them and understand them more easily than anything else in her life. The chrysanthemums also symbolize the broken dreams of Elisa and her own life.

She has given up much of her life for her husband and the needs of the ranch. She loves the chrysanthemums as she would a child or another member of the family, and has given them all her love and care. When the tinsmith throws them away, he throws away a part of her and something that is very meaningful to her. In effect, he is throwing her away carelessly, just as he threw the flowers away on the side of the road.

Therefore, they represent Elisa herself too, and the wants and dreams that have already died in her own life. She is not a happy person, she has many desires and dreams that are unfulfilled, and her husband really does not recognize that. The chrysanthemums are also a symbol of her longing for freedom and what might happen if she actually broke away. She gives the chrysanthemums their freedom when she shares them with the tinsmith.

Steinbeck writes, "Her lips moved silently, forming the words 'Good-bye -- good-bye'" (Steinbeck), and this shows how much she cares about her flowers and the life they symbolize. The tinsmith just throws them away, and so he is saying that what she shared is not important. It was extremely important to her, and she shared a bit of herself with this stranger. He simply took this part of her and destroyed it. When she sees them, it is as if all her strength and dreams have died.

Steinbeck writes, "She tried not to look as they passed it, but her eyes would not obey. She whispered to herself sadly, 'He might have thrown them off the road. That wouldn't have been much trouble,.