Women in Society: Steinbeck vs. Thurber's Female Portraits
This paper compares and contrasts the portrayal of women in society as depicted in John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" and James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." Through close reading of Elisa Allen and Mrs. Mitty, the paper examines how each woman experiences emotional disconnection from her husband and channels her unfulfilled maternal instinct into surrogate outlets—flowers and fussing, respectively. Drawing on critical commentary by Mordecai Marcus and Charles Sweet, the analysis argues that both stories, despite their tonal differences, reveal a shared condition: women defined by a deep, unsatisfied need to nurture something that never fully reciprocates their care.
- Introduction: Two Stories, One Common Thread: Both stories reveal women's emotional disconnect from men
- Mrs. Mitty and the World of Walter Mitty: Mrs. Mitty as nagging, controlling, alien presence
- Elisa Allen and the Language of the Flowers: Elisa's garden as symbol of neglected emotional life
- The Stranger, the Flowers, and Emotional Betrayal: Stranger exploits Elisa's loneliness; flowers discarded
- Maternal Instinct as Social Condition: Both women channel unfulfilled nurturing into surrogates
- Conclusion: Unfulfilled Nurturing in Both Stories: Summary of contrasting portrayals and shared maternal theme
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper sustains a clear comparative thesis throughout, returning consistently to the idea that both women are defined by an unsatisfied maternal drive — a unifying claim that gives the contrast real analytical purpose.
- It integrates secondary criticism (Marcus and Sweet) to reinforce its reading of Elisa, lending scholarly credibility to what might otherwise remain impressionistic analysis.
- The closing rhetorical question — "What would the story be if these women had more than flowers or withdrawn husbands to care for?" — effectively crystallizes the paper's central argument in a memorable way.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates parallel textual analysis: each major claim about one story is immediately tested against the other, so the comparison remains active rather than alternating between isolated plot summaries. This side-by-side method keeps both texts in dialogue and strengthens the overarching argument.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a framing introduction that establishes the shared thematic concern. It then works through close readings of Mrs. Mitty and Elisa in turn, before drawing the two characters together through the lens of maternal instinct. Secondary sources are introduced near the end to deepen the Steinbeck analysis, and the conclusion synthesizes both stories under the paper's central claim without introducing new evidence.
Introduction: Two Stories, One Common Thread
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: each conveys a distinct sense of what women in society are like. Steinbeck's short story is naturally more sympathetic and empathetic, as the main character is a woman aching for affection and tempted to stray from her husband by a deceitful wanderer. Thurber's short story focuses mainly on a bored married man who disappears into daydreams while awaiting orders from his wife. This paper compares and contrasts the portrayal of women in society by Steinbeck and Thurber, and shows how an aching disconnect exists between women and their men.
Mrs. Mitty and the World of Walter Mitty
In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Mrs. Mitty is depicted as something of a boring nag, constantly chiding her husband for his apparent aloofness. She accuses Walter of having "one of his days" at the beginning of the story, as he races their car through traffic while imagining that he is flying a Navy bomber into a hurricane. She does not understand what he is actually doing because he is essentially non-communicative with her. She therefore assumes he has some sort of medical condition, which is why she wants the doctor to look him over. She tells him to put on his gloves and to get overshoes, attending to him as though he were a small child. He drops her at the salon so that she can have her hair done.
The fact that he is driving and she is riding — and that she does not like to go fast in the car — indicates that the world of Mr. and Mrs. Mitty is quite different from the world of Elisa in Steinbeck's 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 gains a sense of the pain and emotional disconnect she feels. In Thurber's story, the world is seen from Walter's perspective, and Mrs. Mitty is viewed as something foreign and alien to him — something that keeps interrupting his fantasies and recalling him to an unhappy real world.
Elisa Allen and the Language of the Flowers
In The Chrysanthemums, Elisa's husband does not seem to appreciate her interest in flowers, which serve as a kind of symbol of her heart and emotions. He is interested in masculine pursuits — work, sports, and movies. He tries to engage his wife, but does so in a somewhat mocking manner: "At it again," he says when he sees her planting. He suggests in a joking tone that they go to the fights, but she does not play along, because to her it is not a joke. Their relationship is real, yet it sometimes feels to her as though they are not connecting — otherwise, why would he joke about going to watch a boxing match, knowing she would not enjoy it? Her place in society is, in some respects, like that of a fish out of water.
She plants her flowers to give herself peace and beauty, finding great joy in nursing something and bringing it to life. But there is no one to share it with. She is left tending her garden alone while her husband seems to notice it only in passing, as though it means nothing to him. It is as though her love means nothing to him — and that is what is most difficult for her to bear.
Conclusion: Unfulfilled Nurturing in Both Stories
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 as though it is the only thing that matters, but no one appreciates it. She is drawn to a stranger who feigns interest, yet she does not stray physically from her husband. Emotionally, however, she has already strayed.
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 either story. So Mrs. Mitty fusses over Walter, and Elisa gives all her love to flowers, hoping that someone will take notice and understand what it all means.
Works Cited
Marcus, Mordecai. "The Lost Dream of Sex and Childbirth in The Chrysanthemums." Modern Fiction Studies 11.1 (1965): 54.
Steinbeck, John. "The Chrysanthemums."
Sweet, Charles A. "Ms. Elisa Allen and Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums." Modern Fiction Studies 20.2 (1974): 210.
Thurber, James. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."
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