Symbolism in the Chrysanthemums

Aliya Grayman Professor Gulliksen English 131 (D8) 24 October 2012 Your national Chrysanthemum How many people sit down and think about what symbolizes their lives? A symbol is a person place or thing that suggests something former(a) than its literal meaning. In John Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay Allen lives on a ranch with her husband Henry in Salinas Valley. Henry is off lecture to men about the livestock on the ranch while enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay is tending to her tend. A tinker comes up to their yard and begins to talk to enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay about his change state and all of his travels.He tries to get enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay to let him work, scarce she does not feel that she needs any work done. The tinker notices the garden of chrysanthemums, and tells enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay that he knows a woman that wants to grow them. Elisa develops a short lived attraction to the tinker as she is offering him the flower and big him cargonful instructions on taking care of them. Steinbeck uses symbolism passim this short story. Things such as the wire contest around the garden, the ever-changing of Elisas clothing, and the chrysanthemums themselves mean something beyond their literal meaning.Everyone has an item or person that symbolizes their life. Because the title of the short story is The Chrysanthemums, the chrysanthemum is an obvious symbol. Elisas beautiful garden of chrysanthemums is very important to the story. They are Important because the chrysanthemums are Elisa, meaning they represent her throughout the story. The chrysanthemums symbolize Elisas life. comparable her they are unimportant to the men in her life. When the tinker asks her about the flowers Elisa brightens up. When Elisa offers a flower to the tinker, she offers herself as well.When the flowers are rejected it symbolizes smart sets rejection to women bein g anything other than mothers and housekeepers. Both the Elisa and the chrysanthemums seem to be simply decorative, and add little importance to the world. The wire fence ring the garden of chrysanthemums shows how Elisa lives her life. Elisa lives a very guarded life. Elisa only tends to the garden inside the fence, never venturing out into the world of work on her ranch. Henry takes care of all of the business deals on the ranch. The fence represents the sheltered life Elisa has been living.The type of fence has significance as well. The wire fence shows that Elisa can look outside of her garden with ease a wooden fence would keep everything out and in. Steinbeck gives slap-up detail of Elisas clothing. In the beginning of the story she is article of clothing bulky gardening clothes and a mans hat. subsequently her conversation with the tinker, there is an abundant amount of detail as Elisa is preparing to go out to dinner with her husband. The description of what she chooses t o wear shows her masculine office becoming feminine.The sentence When she had dried herself she stood in front of a reflect in her bedroom and looked at her body(247), shows her new found sexuality. Everything has more than(prenominal) than one meaning. When an object is a symbol of something else the meaning becomes much more important. Steinbeck meant for his readers to see the true beauty of a chrysanthemum, and by having them symbolize the principal(prenominal) character in the story he did just that. Showing inner beauty and strength gives an inanimate object life. Everything has an inner chrysanthemum.