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Veiled Femininity Veiled Femininity In John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums," Steinbeck introduces the reader to Elisa Allen. He creates a vivid picture of Elisa
off of the orange trees, ripe sumptuous fruits is congruent with the fertility theme as well as the fact that oranges are part of the Medici coat of arms (Hartt and
pride in his cause. She makes it seem to him that murder is a small price for something so valuable as the crown. Although Macbeth said that he didn?t want to kill
since Torvald is pleased that his home is fit only for what he believes to be the proper kind of woman: a mother and wife, like Nora. After Nora reveals her secret
powerful than any abstract impressionists interpretation could ever be(Lippard,p.99). This is because America, as a society, is so used to being barraged with false
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Veiled Femininity
In John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums," Steinbeck introduces the reader to Elisa Allen. He creates a vivid picture of Elisa by using symbolism and settings throughout the story. Steinbeck's choice of setting, a secluded ranch in a mountain valley, gives the reader a sense of isolation, which Elisa must experience everyday. Although she lives on this ranch with her husband, Henry, they don't seem to have a very close relationship in the story. Because of this isolation, Elisa seems to have an uncommon bond with her flowers: she relates herself with her chrysanthemums. Elisa's need to feel strong is the reason she hides her femininity and protects herself from own feelings.
While describing Elisa's clothing, Steinbeck shows us that Elisa is uncomfortable with herself. Elisa spends much of her time gardening in her "costume, a man's black hat pulled down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets" and "heavy leather gloves to protect her hands while she worked" (260). By using the word "costume" in Elisa's description, Steinbeck seems to be telling us that Elisa is hiding herself in her clothing. What she actually seems to be hiding is her femininity: covering her "dark pretty hair" with a "battered hat" (263); wearing big work shoes; and the only feminine clothing she wears, a dress, covered up by a work apron, which makes her figure look "blocked and heavy" (260). Even though she wears her gloves while cutting the stems from her chrysanthemums, she's not afraid to get her hands dirty because she takes them off so she can "put her strong fingers down into the forest of new green chrysanthemum sprouts" (260), and when she plants new shoots for the tinker, she "kneeled on the ground by the starting bed and dug up the sandy soil with her fingers and scooped it into the bright new flower pot. Then she picked up the little pile of shoots she...
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