Imagery and Symbolism in Steinbeck and Hemingway's Female Characters

Introduction: Nature, Women, and the Mother Earth Motif

A fairly extensive body of academic and literary criticism has been directed toward the character of Elisa Allen in John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums" (Hunt). Interestingly, virtually all of the analysis of her characterization focuses on her sexual repression and status as a woman, as a glance at most serious academic sources regarding this tale would demonstrate (Budnichuk). However, the most compelling aspect of Allen is her relationship to nature, primarily expressed through the earth and its several manifestations — flowers and other creatures sustained by it. In this respect, Steinbeck employs both symbolism and imagery to reflect the concept that Allen actually represents the strength and vitality found in the earth itself.

Furthermore, it may be argued that this representation of a female character empowered by nature or the earth is merely a continuation of the "mother earth" motif traditionally found in works of literature as well as in various cultural myths. There is evidence that Ernest Hemingway employed a similar motif in "Hills Like White Elephants." Both authors use various facets of imagery and symbolism to reinforce the notion that their female protagonists reflect many of the characteristics of nature, only to be repressed at the hands of man.

Elisa Allen as a Symbol of Strength and Nature

Steinbeck alludes quite early and often to the fact that Allen is the symbol of strength throughout "The Chrysanthemums" (Renner 305). None of the other characters — Allen's husband Henry, who evinces considerable difficulty even talking to, let alone understanding, his wife (Renner 305), nor the wandering repairman who is simply trying to scrape together enough money for a meal — can be considered particularly strong. Yet Steinbeck uses the words "powerful" and "strong" to describe Allen and her work with nature no fewer than seven times in the initial descriptive paragraphs about her.

The following quotation, in which Elisa speaks with her husband, demonstrates that Elisa symbolizes strength in the story — a strength that stems from nature:

"At it again," he said. "You've got a strong new crop coming." Elisa straightened her back and pulled on the gardening glove again. "Yes. They'll be strong this coming year." In her tone and on her face there was smugness. (Steinbeck)

This quotation demonstrates that the source of Elisa's strength is nature, in the form of the crop — described by both husband and wife as "strong" — that Elisa is tending. The imagery of her standing with her back straightened, reinserting her "gardening glove," accords with the sense of fortitude and empowerment she feels while closely connected with nature. The "smugness" of her tone further underscores this point.

The Physical and Sensory Dimensions of Elisa's Connection to Nature

Furthermore, the physicality of her work in nature — tending to her precious chrysanthemums — reflects itself in a heightened sense of physicality, bordering upon sexuality, that can be found within Allen herself (Budnichuk). This point is most effectively illustrated during Elisa's conversation with the vagrant repairman, who is observant enough to redirect what is rapidly deteriorating into an unprofitable exchange into one that will eventually yield results by referring to Allen's connection to nature through her gardening. Steinbeck employs a striking show of imagery to demonstrate the physical effects that Allen's relationship with nature has upon her:

"She'd sure like to have some, ma'am. You say they're nice ones?" "Beautiful," she said. "Oh, beautiful." Her eyes shone. She tore off the battered hat and shook out her dark pretty hair. (Steinbeck)

In this quotation, Steinbeck presents the reader with a stark series of images illustrating how potent an effect nature has upon Allen, who had previously been described as wearing a man's work clothes. The mere mention of her chrysanthemums causes her to shed her workman's clothing by tearing away her "battered hat" and loosening her own beauty, evidenced here by the reference to her "pretty" hair. When Allen glows that her flowers are "beautiful," it is deliberately ambiguous as to whether the woman is speaking about the flowers, herself, or the effect of nature upon her — all of which are decidedly "beautiful" (Budnichuk).

Another passage particularly insightful to understanding Allen as a reflection of nature's strength and beauty occurs when she inadvertently describes her relationship with nature to the journeyman. There are certain aspects of nature that are indescribable and unknown to the minds of men. Elisa describes these qualities of nature — while simultaneously embodying them through her work in the garden — in the following passage, where she explains her methods:

"Well, I can only tell you what it feels like. It's when you're picking off the buds you don't want. Everything goes right down into your fingertips. You watch your fingers work. They do it by themselves. You can feel how it is. They pick and pick the buds. They never make a mistake. They're with the plant." (Steinbeck)

There are a number of relevant points to be made regarding this quotation, which uses imagery to underscore the incomprehensible qualities of nature. The passage is rich in sensory imagery: Allen claims the only way she can describe her process is to elaborate on how it "feels," a word she returns to more than once. The images of her fingers removing buds provide strong visual representations of this process. Yet the ineffable qualities of nature are also powerfully suggested by the fact that Allen does not fully understand the process herself. Her fingers perform this labor "themselves" and are described as being "with" the flowers — reinforcing the notion that there are parts of nature she does not understand, and that there are parts of her own personification of nature, which her character symbolizes, that she does not fully comprehend either.

Conclusion

It has been sufficiently demonstrated that both Hemingway and Steinbeck employ a plentiful supply of imagery and symbolism to represent women as being full of the life and vitality that can be found in nature, and which they reflect. The mother earth motif — a framework in which female characters embody the generative and sustaining power of the natural world — operates in both "The Chrysanthemums" and "Hills Like White Elephants" to give their female protagonists a depth of power that exists largely outside male comprehension. Not surprisingly, these women have an adverse reaction to men, who are largely used to symbolize mankind and the conflict it has traditionally had with nature. Most critics widely agree that in their respective stories, these women are repressed and submit to the will of these men — which is something true nature will never do.

Works Cited

Budnichuk, Monica. "The Chrysanthemums: Exposing Sexual Tension Through Setting and Character." Universal Journal. No date. Web.

Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills Like White Elephants." Men Without Women. New York: Scribner's Sons, 1927. Online reprint. Scribd.com, 2011. Web.

Hashmi, Nilofer. "'Hills Like White Elephants': The Jilting of Jig." The Hemingway Review (2003): 72–83. Print.

Hunt, D. "Steinbeck's Allegory of the Cave: Deconstructing Elisa Allen in 'The Chrysanthemums.'" Universal Journal. No date. Web.

Renner, S. "Moving to the Girl's Side of 'Hills Like White Elephants.'" Hemingway Review, Fall 1995. Vol. 15 No. 1. Web.

Renner, Stanley. "The Real Woman Inside the Fence in 'The Chrysanthemums.'" Modern Fiction Studies. Volume 31, Number 2. 1985. Print.

Stanwood, Les. "Flowers for Carol: John Steinbeck, Joseph Campbell and 'The Chrysanthemums.'" Steinbeck Review. Volume 5, Issue 2. 2008. Print.

Steinbeck, John. "The Chrysanthemums." 1937. Web.