When my maternal aunt and her husband divorced, a small uproar rose in my family.  No one could understand why she would want to leave a man who was obviously so loving and caring.  When my mother posed this question to her, my aunt’s reply was simply that she was no longer willing to be in a relationship where she felt alone.  She spoke of needing to be able to openly express her wants and needs with someone who could understand them.  My aunt was not as willing to bury her feelings as was the character of Elisa Allen in John Steinbeck’s story “The Chrysanthemums.”  Steinbeck shows us that some people lose all hope that their lives will ever become emotionally enriched; therefore, they try to resign themselves to the notion that the small, trivial pleasures in life will be enough to sustain them.  We can see this theme by looking at the devices of social conflict, inner conflict, symbolism, and character.

The device of social conflict is used in this story to show how Elisa, because of her gender, is hindered in pursuing a more fulfilling life.  The historical setting ties into this gender conflict because of the ways of the world at this particular point in history.  This story takes place in the early 1900s when women were expected to be at home caring for their families instead of gallivanting across the countryside.  Elisa yearns for the chance to pursue a happier and more fulfilling life.  Her feelings are revealed to us when she tells a traveling salesman “It must be nice.  It must be very nice.  I wish women could do such things” (Steinbeck 231).  Elisa feels trapped and stuck in her present circumstances with Henry, her husband, so the idea of traveling across the country appeals to her.  Although she knows it would be very difficult for a woman to live a life similar to that of the salesman, Elisa still becomes angry when he says, “It ain’t the kind of life for a woman.”  She sneers at him in return and asks, “How do you know?  How can you tell?” (Steinbeck 231).  Elisa thinks that because he is a man he cannot fathom the idea that she could actually be capable of handling his type of lifestyle.  Elisa maintains that she is hindered from pursuing an occupation such as his only because she is a woman and not because she is somehow lacking in knowledge and strength.  She makes her feelings known when she says, “You might be surprised to have a rival some time.  I can sharpen scissors, too.  And I can beat the dents out of little pots.  I could show you what a woman might do” (Steinbeck 231).  Elisa lets him know that she could be just as good at his profession as he is, if she was only given the chance.  All of these instances of gender conflict show us that, although Elisa desires a different lifestyle, she also realizes that she could never actively pursue one because of the way that women are perceived in this particular period in history.

The gender conflict in this story leads us to Elisa’s inner conlfict and her feelings of being emotionally starved and fenced in.  She is resentful of her husband because he seems to be happy in their marriage while she feels trapped.  This can be seen when Henry says, “Why—why, Elisa.  You look so nice!”  Elisa responds with, “Nice?  You think I look nice?  What do you mean by ‘nice’?” (Steinbeck 232).  This type of malignant behavior by Elisa is continued in the ensuing passages when Henry, trying to explain his statement, says, “I don’t know.  I mean you look different, strong and happy.”  Elisa then questions, “I am strong?  Yes, strong.  What do you mean by ‘strong’?” (Steinbeck 232).  Elisa has a hard time understanding that her husband’s comments are made without malice because she herself is feeling a lot of animosities toward him.  Elisa is also so eager to connect with someone on an emotional level that she allows herself to be manipulated by the traveling salesman.  This can be seen when he has repeatedly requested some work and she irritably states, “I’m sorry.  I haven’t anything for you to do” (Steinbeck 229).  However, when he notices the flowers that she is working with and questions her about them, her face loses some of the irritability and resistance and she replies, “Oh, those are chrysanthemums, giant whites and yellows.  I raise them every year, bigger than anybody around here” (Steinbeck 229).  The salesman diverted herattention to the flowers because he knew it would soften her up and she would become less resistant to him.  Elisa, desiring to feel connected to someone, tries to equate her feelings with those of the salesman.  We can see this attempt when she says, “I’ve never lived as you do, but I know what you mean.  When the night is dark—why, the stars are sharp-pointed, and there’s quiet.  Why, you rise up and up!  Every pointed star gets driven into your body.  It’s like that.  Hot and sharp and—lovely” (Steinbeck 230).  Elisa misguidedly believes that the salesman feels the same passion that she does.  In all of these instances we can see how Elisa feels emotionally fenced in and is desperately wanting to break free and reveal her innermost thoughts and desires.

Symbolism is used in this story to show that, although Elisa keeps her passions and joys hidden inside, she is aching to set them free.  The chrysanthemums represent Elisa’s joy and desire for emotional connections in her life.  We can see this representation when she is explaining the budding process to the salesman and says,

            Well, I can only tell you what it feels like.  It’s when you’re picking off the buds you don’t want.  Everything goes right down into your fingertips.  You can feel how it is.  They pick and pick the buds.  They never make a mistake.  They’re with the plant.  Do you see?  Your fingers and the plant.  You can feel that, right up your arm.  They know.  They never make a mistake.  You can feel it.  When you’re like that you can’t do anything wrong.  Do you see that?  Can you understand that? (Steinbeck 230)

Because Elisa feels at one with the flowers, she pours all of the passion that is locked deep within herself into the process of caring for them.  When the salesman takes the chrysanthemums, Elisa feels that her life has taken a new direction in a sense.  This symbolic moment is evident when Elisa watches the caravan’s departure and says, “Good-bye—good-bye.”  She then says in a hushed voice, “That’s a bright direction.  There’s a glowing there” (Steinbeck 231).  Elisa feels that some light has been shed on her suppressed emotions.  When she then hurries inside and tears off her dirty clothes and proceeds to scrub with a block of pumice, she is symbolically discarding some of the layers of herself that are hiding her deep seeded emotions.  However, after seeing the discarded flowers on the road, Elisa turns her back on the caravan and in a sense she also turns her back on the hope that her life will ever become emotionally fulfilled.  Steinbeck illustrates this to us when he writes “In a moment it was over.  The thing was done.  She did not look back” (Steinbeck 232).  Elisa has turned her back on her joy and the hope that she will ever become emotionally liberated.  All of these symbols and symbolic events show us how Elisa wants to allow herself to be free enough to express her innermost feelings; however, when she begins to do just that, she becomes even more emotionally hindered.

Some of the symbolic events depicted previously lead us into the character change of Elisa.  She was gaining some hope that her life was going to become more emotionally enriched; however, when this does not happen, she falls into an even deeper state of emotional denial.  This burying of her emotions is illustrated when Elisa sinks down low in the car and says, “It will be enough if we can have wine.  It will be plenty.”  She then begins to cry, “like an old woman” (Steinbeck 233).  This quotation shows us how Elisa does not even wish for anything that will bring her true joy and happiness.  She has come to believe that only the small, insignificant pleasures in life will be available to her.

The devices in this story all flow into each other as they show us how Elisa longs to ecpress her innermost passions and have someone understand them.  Unfortunately, disappointment is the only thing that Elisa experiences when she finally opens up the treasure troves of her emotions.  Her hope for an emotionally enriched life is then destroyed and she tries to resign herself to the idea that she’ll never be able to experience or express the joys and passions that are buried deep within herself.  This outcome underscores Steinbeck’s theme that sometimes, people lose all hope that their lives will ever become emotionally enriched; sadly, they try to resign themselves to having only the small, trivial pleasures in life.