Literary Analysis the Chrysanthemums - 1128 Words

Name Professor Course Date: Chrysanthemums: Literary Criticism At the turn of the 20th century, women were considered inferior to men: they were only required to stay at home, take care of households and children. â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†, as told by John Steinbeck, is a story of a woman during that period who tries to change the course of her destiny. In this story, the two-fold issues of femininity and symbolism play a critical part in explaining this helplessness. Steinbeck uses the narrative to signify the hope for change of the woman as well as her character by illustrating different similarities between Elisa and her flowers. Readers are able to comprehend how a lady feels when she is caged within her life, and the struggles to†¦show more content†¦Elisa’s life is significantly transformed by the arrival of the tinker who comes with hope, which is also symbolized by the flowers. At first, this hope is predicted in the setting of the narrative, although it is subtle. Despite the fac t that the valley looks like a closed pot, there are some â€Å"sharp and positive yellow; leaves† (Steinbeck 175). These bring about an image of encouragement in the midst of depression. Readers are also able to see, through Elisa’s change of attitude, how she puts her hope in the pot of chrysanthemum that she gives to the stranger. At fist, she is repulsive to the tinker and shows little concern for him and keeps some distance from him. She looks at him â€Å"irritably† as her eyes move with â€Å"resistance† (Steinbeck 179) when the tinker requests to offer repair services for any of her broken item. However, this resistance changes from her face when he begins to talk about the chrysanthemums. She starts to gain more interest: Her â€Å"eyes (brighten) and (become) alert and eager† (Steinbeck 180). In addition, she opens one of the men clothes that she is wearing and makes her heart open to reality. From removing the gloves, to destroying the t attered hat, and shaking her beautiful hair, Elisa seems to be blossoming—like a flower (Steinbeck 179-180). These images prove to the readers that the arrival of the tinker, and his interest in the flowers as well as his talk of love and life ofShow MoreRelated The Chrysanthemums Essay1649 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s, The Chrysanthemums, was published in 1938 in a book of short stories, entitled The Long Valley. The Chrysanthemums has been a rather powerful draw for scholars because of its wide gap for interpretations and analysis of its main protagonist character, Elisa Allen and also the unique descriptions used to portray the deeper meaning behind the setting of the story. Themes of sexuality, oppression of women, as well as other numerous types of conflict portrayed in this rather somberRead MoreSymbolism in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck Essay1547 Words   |  7 PagesSymbolism in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck The Chrysanthemums, one of John Steinbecks masterpieces, describes a lonely farmers wife, Elisa Allen. Elisa Allens physical appearance is very mannish yet still allows a hint of a feminine side to peek through. John Steinbeck brings symbolism into play to represent Elisa Allens frustrations and hidden passions. Isolation is another representation through symbolism found in The Chrysanthemums. Elisas failing detached marriage is representedRead MoreJohn Steinbeck2062 Words   |  9 PagesApril 2014 Research Paper Literature dates back all the way to 5th century AD overtime Literary works have been develop such as novel, poems, and short stories. Short Stories are described has miniature versions of books or novels, where an author takes a tale and crams it into a ten to twenty page story. John Steinbeck is not only a well-known novelist, but also writes short stories like â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"Flight†. In Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysthemums† Elisa Allen is married to a negligent ranchRead Moreâ€Å"a Rose for Emily†1309 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A Rose for Emily† Character Analysis of Miss Emily Grierson â€Å"A Rose for Emily† written by William Faulkner, is a story of Miss Emily Grierson, a woman who was born into a wealthy family in the town of Jefferson. She grew up and lived in a huge Victorian home with servants. After the Civil War, it seems that her family’s wealth started to diminish but the Grierson’s were still trapped in the past of their family’s wealth. Emily Grierson’s past and present life is being recalled by a narratorRead MoreEnglish All Semester 26504 Words   |  27 Pagesits customs, clothing, dialect, and landscape. | macabre | adjective | suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome | metaphor | noun | a comparison of two things that are essentially unlike | naturalism | noun | a 19th century literary movement that was an extension of realism and that claimed to portray life exactly as it was | noblesse oblige | noun | Benevolent, honorable behavior considered to be the responsibility of persons of high birth or rank | obliterated | verbRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel A Short Story 1979 Words   |  8 Pagessort of narrative ambiguity where pressure is placed on the reader to make something of these literary texts. To make sense of these subtexts, the reader should pay particular attention to the narrative voice being utilized because the narrator has the ability to influence how a reader may respond to a literary text by setting up a perspective from which the reader sees it. To get a thorough analysis of a short story, the reader must analyze its narrator because the text’s character is developedRead MoreKhasak14018 Words   |  57 PagesMonday, 26 October 2009 Preface This dissertation titled ART AS A RENDEZVOUS OF MYTH AND MIND: A PSYCHOANALYTIC AND MYTHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF O V VIJAYAN’S THE LEGENDS OF KHASAK explores how the judicious selection and use of literary theory can account for the universal appeal of The Legends of Khasak, a belated self translated rendering of a famous regional work in Malayalam, Khasakkinte Ithihasam authored by the eminent writer O V Vijayan, and thus assert its artistic value. Divided into fourRead MoreSex and Dominance in The Ghost Road Essay3936 Words   |  16 PagesSex and Dominance in   The Ghost Road      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pat Barkers The Ghost Road is a masterful literary integration of sex and war.   The novels protagonist, the lascivious, bisexual Billy Prior once remarks:   Whole bloody western fronts a wankers paradise, a statement with far-reaching implications concerning aggression and eroticism (Barker 177).   The novel concludes a successful trilogy, beginning with Regeneration (1991) and The Eye in the Door (1993).   Winner of the prestigious Booker PrizeRead MoreItaly - Research Paper10557 Words   |  43 PagesTABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Country Background 1 Culture 4 Economy 12 Standard Operating Practices 18 SWOT Analysis 27 Conclusion 40 References 42 Introduction Country Background Geographically, Italy is comprised of a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, as well as two large islands. The shape of Italy has been depicted as a ‘boot’ in many cartoons and drawings for years. The country covers over 116,000 square milesRead MoreReceived Pronunciation: Historical Background and Application17580 Words   |  71 Pageslanguage by people who study the problem of functional usage of Standard English. The scientific novelty of our research is in revealing the distinguishing features of Standard English as RP and some Non-RPs, particularly GA, through their comparative analysis. Our research work consists of the introduction, two chapters, the conclusion and the bibliography. The first part of this paper includes mostly the theory, i.e the history and development of RP, worked out by such linguists as D. Jones, D. Crystal