Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Chrysanthemums

The Chrysanthemums, by John Steinbeck, tells a story about a women named Elisa Allen. She is married to Henry Allen and they live on a ranch by the Salinas Valley. The story takes place on a dull winter day in December. Henry seemed to be a devoted and caring husband towards Elisa, however, she did not appreciate him nor did she feel close to him. Overall, it did not look like Elisa was happy with her life. It appeared to me like she had everything she needed but she still wanted something more. When her husband was in town, a man came to the ranch and asked for work. Elisa told the man that she has no work for him until he notices the Chrysanthemums and said that he had a customer who was interested in them. Elisa ended up giving him shoots from the Chrysanthemums and finding some work he could do for her. As the two talked, it is easy to infer that she had an overwhelming attraction (probably sexual) for the man. She made him out to be very handsome and intelligent, although it's difficult to tell if it was just her or if he actually was handsome and intelligent. It was also challenging to tell how he felt about her. At the end of the story, after the man had left and Henry had come home, Henry and Elisa left to go to dinner and see the fight. While traveling, Elisa saw the Chrysanthemums shoots thrown on the road. From this, I feel that the man had no real feelings for Elisa and just used her.

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