Gender limitations and opportunities in Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums"

Chrysanthemums" was published for the first time in 1973 October by the Harper's issue. It was subsequently included in the collection of short stories, The Long Valley, by John Steinbeck in 1938. In many ways, the story of an unhappy marriage is a characteristic of the stories by Steinbeck. "The Chrysanthemums" occurs in the Salinas Valley, California, dubbed "The Long Valley." Steinbeck uses this title in the first collection of short stories. The story is about a married couple and an observation of the unhappiness psychology the marriage engenders. The story also presents the vibrant and enthralling imagery of the plants, seasons, weather, and animals, which appear to captivate and influence the writer throughout his life (Gale Cengage, 2002)

Themes

Opportunities and limitations

One of the most discussed subjects in 'The Chrysanthemums' is the limitations of a married woman. The issue of restrictions of a married woman comes up early in the story- through the depiction of the gray fog that hovered over the valley locking away the Salinas Valley from the world and from the sky. The fog appeared like a lid of a pot on top of the mountain closing it. Elisa lived within "the closed pot" under even greater confines.

The red geraniums that enclose the house of Henry and Elisa are as tall as the windows themselves. A wired fence that runs around the flower garden encloses it further. From the thus confines, of the homestead, Elisa can only see men coming in and leaving in their Ford motors from cattle trade; the fiddle drawn by the burro and Henry and his assistant Scotty riding their horses (Gale Cengage, 2002).

Elisa seems comfortable as she appears unmoved even as the men go about their chores. Elisa has fair knowledge of the roads around the valley; quite plausibly, she does not always remain confined to her house, as once in a while she gives the men advice on their way around. She knows that the road to the ranch is dusty and hence the river is filled up in sand. She advices the men to move back for the Salinas road and take the highway from that point; not that she is known to drive the family roadster. She, possibly, chooses to stay back or even that she has no place to go. At the point the tinker explains his expedition from and to Seatle and San Diego explaining how the travel takes away most of his time given his inclination to follow good weather, Elisa says that she has a liking for that kind of life.

After talking with the tinker, she gives him the chrysanthemum cuttings and seeks more about his life. She is curious whether he sleeps in the wagon and expresses her liking for that kind of life. She even wishes that women were able to do the things the tinker does. The man replies that women are not capable of such rough conditions, but even imagining it gives Elisa strength and courage. She says that one day she might even outdo the man. She says she could show the man things a woman is capable of. The tinker, however insists that, that kind of life is not suitable for women and would only leave them frightened and lonely. Elisa does not appear to believe him. Later on, with Henry she appears boastful and glowing and tells him how strong she is. She says she never knew it before.

Elisa's feeling of strength results from the encounter she had had with the tinker man; the shared fleeting, sexual moment they experienced, appreciating the chrysanthemums and the carefree journeys, the travelling man undertook. The encounter emboldens Elisa's imagination, drawing her out from the confinement she has resorted to. The feeling of betrayal catches up with her the moment she realizes she has been under the influence of the man and her own romantic ideas. The feeling of limitation envelops her again. She is desperate and seeks ways to seek release from her limited life. Henry realizes her frustration and proposes more frequent time out for dinner. He says it would be good for both of them, since the ranch activities are tiring. However, Elisa seeks more than just that, to overcome her recent disappointment. However, she lacks the surge of power to indulge in her wanton desires that have surfaced, just as it is hard for her to abandon the life at ranch and seek out her dream life. Desperate, she asks Henry whether they could also have wine at their dinner outings. At one point during their conversation she asks Henry whether women watch fights. The feeling however, is fleeting and quickly passes. Henry and the narrator have regards for the strength Elisa displays, they, however, know it is not enough for her to defeat her limitations. The realization leaves her heartbroken, weak and in tears (eNotes, 2015)

Aesthetics and beauty

The reason why Henry and Elisa do not appear to be agreeable, lack mutual congeniality, and the absence of meaningful, satisfying communication between them is attributed to the lack of shared aesthetic sense. There may be other reasons but this appears to be the main point of contention. Elisa appears to seek beauty and aesthetics, whereas Henry focuses on utility and functionality. He wants to see things moving. Henry admires the gifts from Elisa and he showers her with praises but he does not like the gifts as much as he would appreciate her work in the plantation raising apples to grow as big as the chrysanthemums she gifts him (eNotes, 2015)