Tuesday, August 6, 2019
The Human Condition Portrayed in John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums†Essay Example for Free
The Human Condition Portrayed in John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†Essay John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†is a story of one woman’s insecurities because of her age and her need to feel beautiful and worthy. There are many ideas portrayed in this story; including sexism, marital roles, basic human needs and emotions and many other ideas. The focus of this essay however, is the human condition of aging; the insecurities which can develop as a person ages.            Aging is one of many aspects of the human condition; according to Websters Dictionary. Human condition is â€Å"the positive and negative aspects of existence as a human being†and â€Å"inevitable events†of life such as; love, sex, aging and death (Webster’s, 1). â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†is a story of a woman who is uncomfortable with her age, and disappointed in her lot in life.            Steinbeck gives the reader the impression that Elisa, the main character, has a problem accepting her age. In the fifth paragraph of the story, the reader is told that Elisa is thirty-five. In today’s standards thirty-five is quite young, but in the 1930s the average life span was only forty years old (Koncelik, 2002). Eliza likely felt her life was coming to an end.            Steinbeck introduces the reader to Elisa as she is â€Å"cutting down the old year’s chrysanthemum stalks with a pair of short and powerful scissors†(207; par. 7). When the reader is first introduced to Elisa, Steinbeck describes what others would see when looking at Elisa; she has a lean, strong face, and clear eyes (206; par. 5). This description implies that Elisa is a healthy, strong woman; however the way Elisa is dressed suggests that she is ashamed of her appearance. Steinbeck writes; Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets to hold the snips, the trowel and scratcher, the seeds and the knife she worked with. She wore heavy leather gloves to protect her hands while she worked (206; par. 5).            Steinbeck’s description demonstrates that Elisa is dressed both practical and in a way which hides her body because of her insecurity. Her corduroy pockets are used for her gardening tools and the heavy gloves protect her hands. The author’s description of her low pulled down hat and the figured print dress that is almost completely covered gives the impression that Elisa is trying to hide herself. Elisa is allowing her age to define her.            Elisa is proud of her Chrysanthemums, something she creates with her â€Å"planting hands†(210). The Chrysanthemums are a symbol of beauty and perfection, something Elisa wants to see in herself. When she first meets the newcomer she feels annoyance until he asks about her flowers; â€Å"the irritation and resistance melted from [her] face (209; 51). The newcomer played on Elisa’s emotions, knowing he could make money by fabricating a story about a woman interested in having Chrysanthemums. He made Elisa feel so good about herself that she gave in and paid him to fix a few saucepans. The newcomer made the pans like new, similar to how he made Elisa feel. At the time of the man’s departure, Elisa felt proud; â€Å"her shoulders were straight [and] her head [was] thrown back†(211; 91), she feels that she has a purpose. Steinbeck creates a scene, drastically different then the beginning of the story. The beginning had a slow, depressing tone, whereas the scene after the newcomer leaves feels vibrant. The way Steinbeck describes the bedroom scene, where Elisa is dressing slowly in new undergarments and the nicest stockings; â€Å"and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness†(212; 93), it is apparent that the positive feelings Elisa is demonstrating are rare. The feelings are so rare that she is defensive when her husband says she looks nice; it is also apparent when he says â€Å"why – why, Elisa. You look so nice!†(212; 100) that he is surprised at her change in attitude. She even boasts about her strength to her husband.            Elisa’s good feelings are short-lived, when she drives by her Chrysanthemums dumped out on the road without the pot. The beautiful flowers were tossed carelessly away; symbolizing the life she feels has thrown away, feeling it is too late for a change. It hurts her so badly that she can’t look at him as she passes. Instead of dealing with her emotions, her hurt and disappointment, she turns her attention to the night ahead of them. It is apparent that Elisa will never live up to her full potential and never make the change she desperately needs. She almost takes the plunge when she asks about the fights; but backs down and settles for a glass of wine at dinner.            Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†explores the human ability to cope with aging. Elisa desperately wants to feel young again, beautiful and strong like her Chrysanthemums; what she can’t understand is that she can be like the Chrysanthemums, growing bigger, stronger and more beautiful every year. She chooses to hide herself behind bulky unflattering clothes and living life in the background because she feels she is too old. Aging is a human condition which is difficult for many people to handle; it can cause depression, like in Elisa’s case. Steinbeck has been known for his representation of the human condition in many of his stories; â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†explores a woman’s experience in aging which is as relevant today as it was in the 1930s. Works Cited Human condition. Websters New Millenniumâ„ ¢ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7). (2007). Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 28 Aug. 2007. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/human condition. Koncelik, Jooseph, A. â€Å"Designing for the Life Span†(Segment 2, slide 28). Georgia Tech Research on Accessible Distance Education. (2002). 28 August 2007 http://www.catea.org/grade/lifespan/Segment2/slide70.htm Steinbeck, John. â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†.
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