Women in Society
John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” and James Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” tell two very different stories about two very different people—but both share one thing in common, which is each conveys a sense of what women in society are like. Steinbeck’s short story is naturally more sympathetic and empathetic, as the main character of the story is a woman, who is aching for affection and tempted to stray from her husband by a deceitful wanderer. James Thurber’s short story focuses mainly on a bored married man, who disappears into daydreams while awaiting orders from his wife. This paper will compare and contrast the portrayal of women in society by Steinbeck and Thurber and show how an aching disconnect exists between women and their men.

In “Walter Mitty,” Mrs. Mitty is depicted as somewhat of a boring old nag, constantly chiding her husband for his seeming aloofness. She accuses Walter of having “one of his days” in the beginning of the story as he races their car through traffic, imagining that he is flying a Navy bomber into a hurricane. She does not understand what he is actually up to because he is essentially non-communicative with her. So she assumes he has some sort of medical condition, which is why she wishes that he would let the doctor look him over. She tells him to put on his gloves and to get overshoes, looking after him as though she were a little child. He drops her at the salon so that she can get her hair done. The fact that he is driving and she riding (and that she does not like to go fast in the car) indicates that the world of Mr. and Mrs. Mitty is a bit different from the world of Elisa in Steinbeck’s short story. Elisa’s story takes place at home, and she is the center of it—not her husband. The world is seen through her eyes and the reader gets a sense of the pain and the emotional disconnect she feels. In Thurber’s story, the world is seen from Walter’s eyes and Mrs. Mitty is viewed as something foreign and alien to him, something that keeps interrupting his fantasies and recalling him back to the unhappy real world.

In “The Chrysanthemums,” Elisa’s husband does not seem to appreciate her interest in the flowers, which serve as a kind of symbol of her heart and emotions. He is interested in masculine things, such as work, sports and movies. He tries to engage his wife, but does so in something of a mocking manner: “At it again,” he says to her when he sees her planting flowers. He suggests that they go to the fights in a joking tone, but she does not play along with the joke, because to her it is not a joke: their relationship is real but it sometimes feels to her like it they are not connecting—otherwise, why would he make jokes about going to fights when he knows she probably would not like to sit and watch a boxing match? Her place in society is like a fish out of water, in some regards. She plants her flowers to give herself peace and beauty, and there is great joy in nursing something and bringing it to life. But there is no one to share it with. She is left nursing the...…she should have—the fruit of the womb, as Marcus points out. Charles Sweet notes that Elisa’s frustration is palpable throughout the whole story: it is like she is the potted flower that has been discarded on the side of the road. Sex for her has not led to fulfillment. She has no children, apparently. She has no family. She has only her flowers—and even they are despised.

In conclusion, Thurber’s “Walter Mitty” and Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” both depict women in society in different ways. Thurber depicts an older woman who is going to town with her husband in order to get her hair done and run a few errands. She fusses over everything her husband does because he is so aloof and uncommunicative: she chides him for going too fast, for sitting in the wrong chair, for not getting overshoes, and so on. He disappears into himself and daydreams to pass the time. In Steinbeck’s story, the woman is different—she is at home but seemingly cut off from her home and disconnected from everything. She tends to her garden like it is the only thing that matters, but no one appreciates it. She is drawn to a stranger who feigns interest, but she does not stray physically from her husband. Emotionally, she is already stayed. There is a sense in both stories, in spite of their differences, that the two women suffer from having their maternal instinct stifled. Each acts as though she must care for something—but there are no children in the story to care for. So Mrs. Mitty fusses over Walter and Elisa gives all her love to flowers, hoping someone will take notice and understand what it all means.



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