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The Chysanthemums - Feminism - Online Term Paper

The Chysanthemums - Feminism

Feminism in John Steinbeck’s "The Chrysanthemums." 750 word paper At first glance John Steinbeck’s "The Chrysanthemums" seems to be a story about a woman whose niche is in the garden. Upon deeper inspection the story has strong notes of feminism in the central character Elisa Allen. Elisa’s actions and feelings reflect her struggle as a woman trying and failing to emasculate herself in a male dominated society. Elisa is at her strongest and most proud in the garden and becomes weak when placed in feminine positions such as going out to dinner with her husband. Steinbeck smartly narrates this woman’s frequent shifts between femininity and masculinity over a short period ...

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husband asks her if she would like to go to dinner her feminine side comes out. She is excited to go eat at a restaurant and states that she would much rather go to the movies than go see the fights, she "wouldn’t like the fight’s" at all (paragraph 21). Elisa is taken aback with her own submissiveness and quickly becomes preoccupied with her flowers as soon as her husband leaves. When the drifter comes and asks Elisa for work to do she is stern with him and refuses him a job. She acts as a man would to another strange man and becomes irritated. When he persists in asking her she reply’s "I tell you I have nothing like that for you to do" (paragraph 46). The drifter mentions Elisa’s chrysanthemums and she immediately loosens up as "the irritation and resistance melt(ed) from her face" (paragraph 51). The drifter feigns great interest in Elisa’s chrysanthemums and asks her many questions about them. He tells her he knows a lady who said to him ...

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The Chysanthemums - Feminism. (2005, March 27). Retrieved July 17, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Chysanthemums-Feminism/24351

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 3/27/2005 01:43:39 AM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 839
Pages: 4

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