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Character Roles In Steinbecks - School Essays

Character Roles In Steinbecks

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 ...

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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 ...

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Character Roles In Steinbecks. (2007, August 3). Retrieved May 7, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Character-Roles-In-Steinbecks/69030

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 8/3/2007 05:28:58 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Free Paper
Words: 541
Pages: 2

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