Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck Theme of the

¶ … Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck [...] theme of the story, and how it relates to the story's conflict and outcome. Steinbeck weaves the theme of loneliness and isolation throughout this touching story of a lonely woman and her unfulfilled life. The outcome of the story is as unemotional and removed as Elisa's life is, and so, it is clear her life will go on just as it has, she is not the type of woman to really strike out on her own.

In "The Chrysanthemums," Elisa Allen is a lonely and unfulfilled woman who has dreams of a far different life. She truly covets the tinker's independence and his power to simply pick up and move where he wants when he wants. She wistfully tells the tinker, "It must be nice,' she said. 'It must be very nice. I wish women could do such things'" (Steinbeck 182). This theme of loneliness and dreams unfulfilled is woven into "The Chrysanthemums," and it makes the reader sad.

Elisa illustrates what can occur when a person allows loneliness to take over, and the people close to them do not take the time to appreciate their desires and needs. Elisa is a sad and pitiable character because she seems to have no choice in her meager life, because of the constraints placed on her by her husband and society. Women could not break away and seek their own lives when this story was written, and Steinbeck shows how this inability to live for themselves adversely affected many women.

Elisa is controlled by society's expectations of her. Women did not and could not run away to be tinkers. If a person allows it, society can constrain them if they do not conform, and it can be lethal to the heart and soul of those it restricts. Elisa does not commit suicide at the end of the short story, but she might as well, because she lives a pointless life, and the person closest to her, her husband, has no idea there is anything wrong.

Steinbeck notes, "She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly -- like an old woman" (Steinbeck 185). Elisa is strong enough to go on with her meaningless life, but all she is doing in enduring, certainly not enjoying, and her life is really just sad and unfulfilling, with no hope for the future. The worst item regarding this theme is it is so widespread in society even today.

So many people live worthless and unhappy lives because of the restrictions of family and society. People ruin their lives because of these restrictions they cannot even see, just as Elisa's is ruined, and the people close to them often never recognize there is anything amiss. It is sad, and it is a waste of life and meaning. Elisa's story is a tragedy, and the theme in it helps her seem all the more tragic. Elisa wastes her life because she cannot cope with reality.

Loneliness is common in our society, and this theme ultimately illustrates that a person does not need to be alone to be lonely and misunderstood. Many people might not understand why this poor woman is so unhappy, but Steinbeck uses techniques to flesh her out and make her more real and dimensional to the reader, and so the reader more readily understands her problems.

This characterization also helps in determining the theme that affects her in the story, and what the author is really saying about a people who turn their back on those who.