A Deeper Look Into Sexuality Of Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" And Its Literary Criticisms

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made between the sexes.
Most women agreed with me and felt the sexual tension apparent in the story.
This sexual tension was quiet and sensual. The only men that picked up on
this picked out some overtly sexual innuendoes and chose to ignore the
subtleties as Eliza's mood changes and tone of voice. The other men
attributed any sexual tension to Eliza's need for children, which is a
valid point, but it ignores too many other things in the story to fit it
well.
I found the words of R.S. Hughes to be a little trite. He seemed
unable to grasp some uniquely feminine emotions. He doesn't quite catch
onto the eroticism of the story, and in stead, chooses to focus on the more
crude innuendoes. “...The chrysanthemum stalks seem to be phallic symbols,
and Eliza's “over-eager” snipping of them suggests castration. Then in the
“rooting” bed, Eliza herself becomes masculine, inserting the “little crisp
shoots” into open, receptive furrows” (Hughes 235). He goes on explaining
how the ...

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