’s The Crhysantemums Essay, Research Paper
Character Roles in Steinbeck s The Chrysanthemums
In The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck, the role of Elisa shifts several times throughout the story, from the loving, sensitive wife, to strong, independent woman and back. This all comes about from a meeting with a traveling repairman. Her attraction to the repairman, and his apparent interest in Elisa s prized chrysanthemums, gives her a feeling of strength that she does not achieve from being with her husband Henry. Eventually, though, she finds that she was swindled, and returns to becoming an overly sensitive woman.
It seems that Elisa Allen puts almost all of her energy into her chrysanthemums, and that these flowers have become a reflection of her. Because of that, she works too hard on them.
Evidence in the story suggests, that Elisa . . . is talented and energetic-as well as frustrated. She cuts her chrysanthemum stalks with excessive energy; her work with the scissors [is] over-eager, over-powerful (Hughes, 23) .
When the repairman shows interest in Elisa s flowers she becomes attracted at that moment. It almost seems like Elisa lives through her flowers, that they are a reflection of her.
That being the case, it was interesting to see that even though her husband Henry didn t pay notice to her garden, Elisa invited the repairman into the garden after just a few minutes. It looks like these flowers are the way to Elisa s heart. Since Henry didn t really seem to care, Elisa felt a sense of strength and beauty after the repairman showed interest. After the meeting with the repairman, she stands in front of the mirror naked, staring at her body. Upon Henry s return, she presses him for his thoughts on her appearance. These things make Elisa a Steinbeck strong woman, with seemingly masculine traits:
The woman chooses a traditional feminine activity, gardening, as a creative outlet, yet the dedication with which each undertakes her project is of the sort traditionally considered masculine. (Mitchell, 154)
Steinbeck s imagery also lends to this sense of masculinity surrounding Elisa:
Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water . . . a man s black hat pulled low over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets (339).
The most noticeable change in Elisa s character is when she realizes that the repairman had duped her into making some money. After seeing her chrysanthemum stalks on the side of the road after leaving with Henry, she begins to cry, although she tries hard to hide it from her husband. Just like that her feeling of strength had gone away, although she had attempted to hide it. It seemed as though she were trying too hard to remain strong, asking Henry about how the boxers got all bloody during their fights. The very last line, though shows how Elisa felt about the whole episode: She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly – like an old woman (345).
It s obvious that Steinbeck use a shift in gender roles in describing Elisa s character. Her change from loving, quiet wife to strong, independent woman and back are what make this such a great story.
Другие работы по теме:
John Steinbeck Biography Essay Research Paper John
John Steinbeck Biography Essay, Research Paper John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902 of German and Irish ancestry. His father, John Steinbeck, Sr., served as the County Treasurer while his mother, Olive (Hamilton) Steinbeck, a former school teacher, fostered Steinbeck’s love of reading and the written word.
Biography Of John Steinbeck Essay Research Paper
Biography of John Steinbeck John Steinbeck was born in 1902, in California’s Salinas Valley, a region that would eventually serve as the setting for Of Mice and Men as well as many of his other works. He studied literature and writing at Stanford University, but disenrolled in 1925, after six years, without a degree.
Identities In Of Mice And Men Essay
, Research Paper Friday October 8, 1999 Identities in Of Mice and Men Every author has a variety of different characters in his or her novels. Every character displays a certain identity that makes the story more complete. Each one of John Steinbeck’s characters in Of Mice and Men develops a different identity.
Themes In The Grapes Of Wrath Essay
, Research Paper Matthew Sinrod Dr. Doyle Eng 102 5/5/98 “Themes in “The Grapes of Wrath” John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California February 27th 1902. He was the third of four children and the only son of John Ernst Steinbeck II, manager of a flour mill, and Olive Hamilton Steinbeck, a former teacher. Steinbeck said of his youth, (”We were poor people with a hell of a lot of land which made us think we were rich people, even when we couldn’t buy food and were patched.”) Steinbeck used the area where he grew up as the setting for many of his stories.
The Journey Theme Of Grapes Of Wrath
Essay, Research Paper The Journey Theme of The Grapes of Wrath In the Classic novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck displays in his writing many different and interconnected themes. The main idea of the novel can be interpreted many different ways through many of the different actions and characters throughout the novel.
Of Mice And MenGood Essay Research Paper
The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two men who are brought together and share few good times, such as each others company, and the more overwhelmingly the bad times. Both men fight the loneliness that was ramped during the Depression. The story begins in the foothills of Salinas, California, in the middle of the Great Depression.
Greek Actors Essay Research Paper GREEK DRAMA
Greek Actors Essay, Research Paper GREEK DRAMA: the actors The actors in ancient tragedies were hired and paid by the state and assigned to the tragic poets probably by lot. By the middle of the fifth century three actors were required for the performance of a tragedy. In descending order of importance of the roles they assumed they were called protagonist first actor (a term also applied in modern literary criticism to the central character of a play), Dueteragonist second actor and tritagonist third actor .
Isolation Form Love In The Film
“east Of Eden” Essay, Research Paper East of Eden by John Steinbeck is an optimistic film about a boy becoming a man and trying desperately to earn the love of his father and mother in the troubled times of the Great Depression. Cal, the main character is a troubled teen who lives with his entrepreneur father, and a brother who is following closely in his fathers steps.
Family Ties John Steinbeck
’s The Grapes Of Wrath Essay, Research Paper In John Steinbeck?s The Grapes of Wrath, the most important elements are family structure and the family?s connection to the land. The Joad family must stay together for support and happiness. They also have a strong tie to their homeland that affects every aspect of their lives.
John Steinbeck 2
John Steinbeck’s Portrayal Of Alcoholics Essay, Research Paper John Steinbeck’s Portrayal of Alcoholics By V. Kayt Whitten, Lila L. Anastas has said of John Steinbeck: “Steinbeck
Symbolism The Chrysanthemums Essay Research Paper Symbolism
Symbolism- The Chrysanthemums Essay, Research Paper Symbolism- “The Chrysanthemums John Steinbecks’ “The Chrysanthemums” is a story that utilizes symbolism on many levels. Most of all, I believe in the character of Elisa Adams. Elisa and her garden seem to be considered one. Because of all of her hard labor and love the Chrysanthemums flourish.
Prejudice In Of Mice And Men Essay
, Research Paper Prejudice in Of Mice and Men Novel by John Steinbeck In the past and present there have been many divisions of people for many reasons. Examples of this prejudice include discrimination
Comparison Between Call Of The Wild And
Of Mice And Men Essay, Research Paper The supplemental assignment I did was the one with the two books by different authors of the same genre. The books I read were Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and Call of the wild by Jack London. These two books are classified under the genre of drama.
Book Review On Grapes Of Wrath Essay
, Research Paper A Critical Review of: John Steinbeck s The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck wrote this book in the hopes that people would be able to see what was happening to our nation s people. He wanted to open their eyes to see the hardships that migrants faced everyday and he accomplished this through the telling of the Joad s family story.
John Steinbeck And Of Mice And Man
Essay, Research Paper John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is nothing short of magnificent. The book is about two men that travel together looking for work. The plot centers on George
Grapes Of WrathStructure Essay Research Paper Authors
Grapes Of Wrath-Structure Essay, Research Paper Authors often use many styles and techniques in their novels. They use certain methods in order to make their stories seem more real. John Steinbeck uses many literary
Gender Roles Essay Research Paper A View
Gender Roles Essay, Research Paper A View on Gender Roles While having read “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Gillman, I have realized that much is to be said about early roles of women and how psychology tied into them. The hardships of the lives of women were not dwelled upon as if it were a man’s life. Most if not all of the females of this era had specific gender roles that were followed.
Emotions Seen In 2
Emotions Seen In – Of Mice And Men Essay, Research Paper Emotions seen in “Of Mice and Men”This essay will deal with the way emotions were used in the story of “Of Mice and Men”. Not only friendship and loyalty between George and Lennie. Faith, hope, charity, love, hate, jealousy and indifference are among the other emotions that develops during the story between them and the other characters, and that shows us Steinbeck s way of character definition.
The Chrysanthemums Essay Research Paper Page 1In
The Chrysanthemums Essay, Research Paper Page 1 In John Steinbeck s story The Chrysanthemums he makes the story very interesting with his usage of setting, local color, and the characterization he uses. Steinbeck wrote The Chrysanthemums as part of a collection of stories in The Long Valley in 1938. Steinbeck who is of Irish and German ancestry was born in Salinas, Monterey County, California.
Johnsteinbeck Essay Research Paper John SteinbeckJohn Steinbeck
Johnsteinbeck Essay, Research Paper ?John Steinbeck? John Steinbeck is one of many American literature writers, but he is one of a kind in his work. Steinbeck went through many troubles to get his work where it is now. What would you do if publishers rejected your whole short story collection? Many people would quit right there, but now john Steinbeck.
Flight Essay Research Paper Flight by John
Flight Essay, Research Paper Flight by John Steinbeck In his classic short story, “Flight,” John Steinbeck uses many examples of symbolism to foreshadow the conclusion. Symbolism can be anything, a person, place or thing, used to portray something beyond itself. It is used to represent or foreshadow the ending of the story.
Title Of Paper Essay On
“Of Mice And Men” Essay, Research Paper Grade Received on Report : 96% In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses stereotypes and discrimination to convey a message
The Grapes Of Wrath 7 Essay Research
Paper ECON 115 26 May 2000 The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck s book The Grapes of Wrath depicts the sufferings of a southwestern family of poor tenant farmers who migrate to California in hopes of finding prosperity, but sadly only find poverty and despair there. The book portrays the transition the Joads family experiences as they become migrant laborers under the command of the rich.
Grapes Of Wrath Ma Joad Essay Research
Paper Ma Joad is one of the main characters in John Steinbeck’s novel Grapes of Wrath. Ma is a strong, wife and mother who is the leader of the family. She does anything to keep the family together. In Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck uses two literary techniques, direct description and portrayal of characters behavior, to create the character, Ma Joad.
Crooks AnalysisOf Mice And Men Essay Research
Paper Crooks Character Analysis In John Steinbeck s novel Of Mice and Men, the character named Crooks was segregated from the other men because he is black. This caused him to be lonely. He was forced to sleep in a separate bunk than the others. Trapped in solitude all night long; he resorts to books as his only companion.
East Of Edan Essay Research Paper John
East Of Edan Essay, Research Paper John Steinbeck In the novel, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Catherine Ames is one of the main characters. She is introduced to the reader as a monster and
The Use Of Symbols In Steinbeck
’s The Chrysanthemums Essay, Research Paper The Use of Symbols in John Steinbeck s The Chrysanthemums In John Steinbeck s short story, The Chrysanthemums, he uses the flower to symbolize his main character s thoughts and ideas. There are many examples of such symbolism in this work.
The Chrysanthemums By John Steinbeck Essay Research
Paper In John Steinbeck?s short story The Chrysanthemums a struggle for equality is portrayed through the character Elisa Allen. Elisa is a frustrated woman living in a male dominated society. This theme is introduced to the audience at the beginning of the story. Elisa?s figure is described as ?blocked and heavy? and her home is described as ?hard-swept? and ?hard-polished.? I believe that Elisa is possibly unhappy with her female role, so in turn, she tries to reach out into some masculine areas or activities.
Symbolism In John Steinbeck
’s The Pearl Essay, Research Paper Symbolism in The Pearl by John Steinbeck Novels were created to show a very simplistic view in great depth. The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, takes a novel to its most unadulterated form. Steinbeck does this by conveying life symbolically. Through symbols, Steinbeck offers the reader a more clear look at life and its content.
The Similarities And Differences Between Frankenstein Aylmer
, And Dr. Phillips Essay, Research Paper The Similarities and Differences Between Frankenstein, Aylmer, and Dr. Phillips Authors Mary Shelly, Nathaniel Hawthorne and John Steinbeck have all created scientists in at least one piece of their work. Mary Shelly’s character Frankenstein, from her novel Frankenstein, is a man who is trying to create life from death.
Grapes Of Wrath Jim Casey As A
Christ Figure Essay, Research Paper In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck brings to the reader a variety of diverse and greatly significant characters. However, the majority of each characters? individuality happens to lie within what they symbolize in the microcosm of the Joad family and their acquaintances, which itself stands for the entire migrant population of the Great Depression era.
Grapes Of Wrath And Of Mice And
Men Character Study Essay, Research Paper The American Novelist, John Steinbeck was a powerful writer of dramatic stories about good versus bad. His own views on writing were that not only should a writer make the story sound good but also the story written should teach a lesson. In fact, Steinbeck focused many of his novels, not on average literary themes rather he tended to relay messages about the many hard truths of life in The United States.
Cannery Row Essay Research Paper In his
Cannery Row Essay, Research Paper In his book Cannery Row, John Steinbeck characterizes different qualities of life, and uses symbolism to express those qualities. Cannery Row is an emphasis on the importance of friendship, and how the hardships of life can be healthy in some ways.