Literary fiction should never be regarded exclusively as a whim of a writer’s imagination. After all, any artist takes inspiration from their surroundings, which is why it is important to look deeper into a piece and decipher the true meaning of themes, characters, and settings integrated into the work. John Steinbeck is rightfully considered one of the greatest American writers. He has left a significant impact on literature through social commentary combined with a distinctive imaginative style and sympathetic characterization. Steinbeck’s 1937 short story “The Chrysanthemums” may seem as a simple narrative about a housewife’s peculiar interaction with a drifter.
However, when examined in detail, the piece presents itself as a nuanced reflection of the post-Great Depression California, which unashamedly fosters a variety of stereotypes and expectations. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate how Steinbeck comments on economic challenges of the time period and emphasizes the danger of harmful gender expectations in his short story.
The synopsis of “The Chrysanthemums” will do little in recognizing the true nuances of the narrative. Steinbeck introduces Elisa Allen, a housewife in her mid-30s who is seemingly happy enjoying a simple life with her husband Henry in Salinas Valley, California. After an emotional yet peculiar encounter with a bearded drifter, Elisa gives him some of the flowers she prides herself in so much. Feeling re-energized by her conversation with the unnamed man, she re-imagines her future and sexuality. That is until she finds her flowers laying in the dirt while on a date night with Henry. At the end of the story, Elisa simply tries to hide her disappointment and sadness from her husband.
In order to distract as much as possible from “the Chrysanthemums,” it is important to explore the political, economical, and cultural context of the story. The events take place in the mid-1930s, which symbolize a time in American history filled simultaneously with hardship and hope. The United States had just begun to recover from the impact of the Great Depression, which was a collapse of the New York Stock Market resulting in nationwide unemployment, business closings, and financial struggles (Amaded, 2020). However, as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt assumed office, changes were initiated to reform the banking system, stabilize the economy, and create more jobs (Amaded, 2020).
Thus, in the mid-1930s, the nation was beginning to recover from the Great Depression although people still struggled to find employment opportunities. In addition, it is important to note that California differed a bit from other parts of the U.S. (Amaded, 2020). Due to inflation and considerable decreases in prices, some people could live more than comfortably throughout the Great Depression and after it. Industries located on the West Coast actually thrived unlike coal-mining and cotton-growing sectors in other regions of the country.
The readers could be not that well-versed in history of the United States yet they would still be able to understand the social and economic context Steinbeck’s narrative is affected by. Firstly, the setting is indicative of the ordinary middle-class life in California at the time. Elisa and Henry have a lovely house in the middle of a typical neighborhood, which the author describes as a pot with a lid on it. Thus, Steinbeck (1989) indicates that people in California seem to be well-off at the time although their surroundings may be rather suffocating as the life in such a middle-class utopia is nothing but mundane. Secondly, the fact that Elisa does not have to work and can enjoy date nights and movies with her husband show that the U.S. is gradually recovering from the financial obstacles posed by the economic collapse of the late 1920s.
The main reflection of the time period, however, is the character of the tinker who is in search of work. He represents millions of Americans who have experienced financial hardships as a result of the Great Depression. The drifter tries to make money in any way he can, which includes warming up to strangers and even somewhat manipulating them into employing him. Errors in spelling in his kitchen repair advertisement indicate his lack of proper schooling, which has been the case for many Americans at the time as well.
Once Elisa elaborates on her passion for gardening and goes beyond in her musings about the stars, readers can sense that the tinker becomes uncomfortable. In reality, because of the financial struggles he has to deal with, he does not have the privilege to ponder about such things. He summarizes his attitude towards the subject by nothing that wondering about the stars might not seem as nice if one is hungry.
Here, readers have the proof that the drifter is more concerned with surviving, while Elisa finds herself in the position of privilege, which allows her to tap into the topics such as passion and self-actualization. The fact that the main heroine finds her flowers in the dirt emphasizes the class difference reflected in her compared to the tinker. He simply does not concern himself with symbolic messages and niceties instead choosing to prioritize his personal struggle to keep himself afloat.
Apart from the economic climate caused primarily by the challenges originated from the Great Depression, social hierarchies must also be considered as the context for Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums.” Thus, the story of Elisa is a reflection on the inequality of gender, which persisted during the 1930s and beyond. Firstly, it is important to examine the characters in an effort to define whether Americans of the time period were subjected to gender expectations. Henry seems like a husband every woman at the time would wish for. He provides for his wife and runs a successful business, which represents an expectation of him the society has. The tinker searches for fulfillment in his own way and enjoys the personal freedom he has as a man. Elisa, on the other hand, seems to struggle with the gender norms forced upon her (Kohzadi, 2018).
She is trapped in an unfulfilling marriage void of any sexual desire. The only role reserved for her is that of a housewife, which is why the main heroine struggles to find a hobby or a passion to add purpose to her life. Furthermore, although Elisa is certainly smarter than her husband and the drifter, her ambitions go to waste. It is Henry who makes all the business deals and takes part in important decisions although he is arguably less clever.
The short story demonstrates the limitations Elisa has to face. Being a part of American society in the mid-1930s meant that Elisa could never be treated as an equal to a man (Maiti, 2017). Henry speaks to her in condescending terms and dismisses her passion for planting because he simply can never imagine his wife amounting to anything. After all, the only role reserved for her is that of a wife and a mother. Elisa tried to subconsciously avoid her gender-assigned expectations by partially rejecting the traditional female role. Firstly, she attempts to appear more masculine by wearing men’s clothing, which makes her look “blocked and heavy” (Steinbeck, 1989, p. 330).
Secondly, she takes the tasks she has the opportunity to be responsible for very seriously. Her home is perfectly clean, “hard-swept,” and “hard-polished” (Steinbeck, 1989, p. 330). In addition, Elisa considers her passion for planting a serious occupation, which is why comments of approval from her husband make her especially proud. On the other hand, when the main heroine discovers her flowers laying in dirt, this hurts her deeply. Readers can draw a parallel and conclude that Elisa’s flowers have just been thrown out as unnecessary decoration, which is what Elisa herself is in the eyes of the society at the time.
The story showed exactly the position so many women during the time period found themselves in. The only road to self-fulfillment was through doing chores, raising children, and possibly finding a hobby or two (Kohzadi, 2018). Steinbeck has managed to showcase the struggle a woman of the time would likely experience as she tried to reject her femininity in an effort to feel free and independent (Maiti, 2017). It is crucial to regard “The Chrysanthemums” as a piece written in the context of gender inequality and harmful sex-based societal expectations.
In conclusion, it is apparent that literature is not a phenomenon that stands separate from the economic, social, and cultural context authors integrate into their stories. “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck is an example of the impact societal and economic changes can have on the characters, their personalities, fears, and anxieties. On the other hand, the short story demonstrates how the author’s use of imagery, characterization, and settings can reflect the time period and infirm readers of the cultural implications the narrative might have.
References
Amaded, K. (2020). The Great Depression, what happened, what caused it, how it ended. The Balance.
Kohzadi, H. (2018). The marriage of hysteria and feminism in John Steinbeck’s The chrysanthemums: Elisa Allen as a married but virgin feminist homosexual hysteric. Interdisciplinary Literary Studies, 20(4), 429-469. Web.
Maiti, A. (2017). A story of repressed feminism: Exploring Steinbeck’s women characters with special reference to “The chrysanthemums.” International Journal of English Language and Linguistics Research, 5(1), 1-14. Web.
Steinbeck, J. (1989). The chrysanthemums. In E. McMahan, S. Day, & R. funk (Eds.). Literature and the writing process (2nd ed.). Macmillan.