Chrysanthemums

In John Steinbeck’s short story, “The Chrysanthemums,” the author uses the flower to symbolize the main character, Elisa. Like the title flower, Elisa is soft and delicate with a tough, protective shell. She worries for herself and her flowers that an insensitive person will be able to get inside the gates and wreak havoc among her feelings and flowers. Both the woman and the chrysanthemums have a unique beauty. Both the woman and the …

…makeup. One can almost see a flower blooming and opening petal by petal as one reads about Elisa preparing for the evening. John Steinbeck did an incredible job of using chrysanthemums to symbolize Elisa Allen. He parallels the main character and the flowers in that they are both soft with a rough exterior, both have a beauty unique of their own; and Mrs. Allen and the chrysanthemums need to be nourished and pampered to bloom.