Ruth's Group Answers for "The Chrysanthemums"
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Friday, November 2, 2007
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Question 5.
In what ways is the tinker a contrast to Eliza?. What might he represent for her? Is he sincere, or is he just a con man? Are there any ways in which they are alike? (Study their conversation carefully for clues)
The two main characters of John Steinbeck’s story,” The Chrysanthemums,” have both similarities and differences. Both of them have adventurous, sensitive and sensual nature. It seems, that they can understand each other easily, speaking poetic language and share emotions about beautiful things: stars and flowers. To Eliza, who lives in the isolated farm with a lack of social contacts, the tinker represents a freedom. Even though his life is not easy, she considers it more interesting and attractive than her own, because she has the same “brooding” in her blood, as the tinker in his eyes. “It must be very nice. I wish women can do such things,” reveals she. Unlike Eliza, the tinker is experienced, practical person who learned well how to understand people’s characters and successfully uses these skills to earn his living. He, like a good actor, demonstrates different feelings in order to find the Achilles’ heel in customer’s defense and get the desirable job. His face is able to “fell to exaggerated sadness,” or he can demonstrate “genuine” interest for the flowers that are so important to Eliza. After sharing her passion for the flowers, Eliza is disarmed and agrees to find him a job. If she had been less emotional or more experienced with people, she would have noticed that the tinker’s interest was not sincere. His acting was not perfect, for he easily adapted his opinion about a flower’s scent to hers and he forgot about Chrysanthemums as soon as he had his money.
As the readers finds her “crying weakly” over her lost illusions at the end of the story, they expect that after this lesson Eliza will be more experienced and less trustful with the strangers.
289 words, first draft
In the story, “The Chrysanthemums,” The protagonist, Elisa, is a farm wife, who has a strong appearance and weak heart, and she is eager to be understood by the people surrounding her. She enjoys gardening. She is so powerful that “the chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy.” She thinks the beautiful flowers can fulfill her romantic dream which is “hot”, “sharp”, and “lovely.” However, nobody understands her. Even her husband would like her to raise big apples rather than the big flowers. On that day, when she meets a tinker who describes her chrysanthemums as “a quick puff of coloured smoke,” she thinks she find the right person who can share the romantic dream with her. Elisa is so excited that she gives him some business, flower pots, and chrysanthemum spouts. She completely opens her heart and shares her feelings with him like a “fawning” dog.” When I read here, a woman who is lonely and eager to be appreciated vividly emerges into my view. At the end of the story, Elisa finds the tinker has thrown the flower spouts on the road and realizes she was cheated. Elisa is deeply hurt at that time. Although she looks like strong, she cries weakly “like an old woman.”
Question 9
After the tinker leaves, what does Elisa do, and why? Why do her actions and speeches confuse Henry?
In “ The Chrysanthemums,” the character Elisa, a farmer’s wife, lives in a valley with her dull husband Henry. On the surface, she has some male bents, but inside of her heart, she also has the woman’s common feelings, being eager to be loved and admired by man. Her world seems to limit the garden, however, she wants more from the life. “The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy.” When the tinker appears, he ignites her hidden desire. She envies the tinker’s footloose life and thinks “ That sounds like a nice kind of a way to live.” This is why when the tinker leaves, she murmurs, “That’s a bright direction.” Rushing into her house, she takes a bath and throws out the old clothes to the corner; then she prepares the dress she will wear at the dinner and makes up. That hints she wants to say goodbye to her old life and start a new life. All these unusual actions make her husband confused. Even though he praises his wife “you look so nice.” he only get a cold response. He wonders why the obeying wife changes so much, He is out of his wits. -201 words
Question 4: Why does Steinbeck spend so much time describing Elisa’s clothes? How does her clothing change as the story progresses?
In the story, “The Chrysanthemums,” John Steinbeck uses many words to describe Elisa’s clothes in two occasions. The first occasion is at the beginning of the story when she works in the garden. We notice that it is just after John Steinbeck’s setting description which hints Elisa’s dry, waiting, expecting inner world. It is covered with the heavy and rough gardening costume. The second occasion is just after she encounters the tinker who stirs up her inside. The meticulous dressing reveals her strong feminine eagerness. Steinbeck makes some detailed descriptions which offer us a large space to imagine Elisa’s inner activities and her emotional changes. In the garden, she wears “a man’s black hat,” the “clod-hopper shoes,” “a figured print dress” covered by “a big corduroy apron with four big pockets” to hold irony tools, and the “heavy leather gloves.” She dramatically changes her clothing after she meets the tinker. She puts on “her newest underclothing and her nicest stockings and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness.” From the strong contrast between two kinds of dressing, we can feel her desire for being understood, appreciated, and loved in her feminine dream.
-194 words
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