40 pages • 1-hour read
The Chrysanthemums
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Themes
Dissatisfaction
Of the three characters in this story, only Henry Allen seems satisfied with his life. He has a successful ranch, a clean house, a pretty wife, and enough money to go out to dinner and a movie. He is easily pleased and excited that his wife dressed up, and he even suggests a bottle of wine with dinner. He seems happy with his life and his work on the ranch.
Elisa and the Tinker, on the other hand, are both dissatisfied with their lives, though for different reasons. Elisa is too spirited to stay confined to her garden. She has bigger goals for herself, whether that’s using her gardening skills in the orchard or beating the dents out of pots and pans—anything to show what she is capable of. She seeks an outlet for her passion, whether that’s through snipping chrysanthemum stems or flirting with the Tinker.
For a moment in the middle of the story, the reader gets a glimpse of what Elisa would be like if her life were truly fulfilling. When talking to the Tinker about her chrysanthemums, her eyes shine, she shakes out her hair, and she seems in touch with herself and her desires. She even forgets her sense of propriety as she reaches out to touch the Tinker. The moment quickly passes, however, and Elisa retreats into her shell and becomes a demure housewife once again. From that point on, Elisa is embarrassed, snappy with her husband, and emotional. Seeing the chrysanthemums thrown away by the Tinker only increases her sense of dissatisfaction with her life while simultaneously reminding her that she cannot escape it.
While the Tinker’s dissatisfaction is perhaps not so deeply rooted as Elisa’s, he is a lonely, disheveled traveler who mentions multiple times that he might not get dinner. He spends his life traveling, alone in his wagon, relying on unsteady work to feed and clothe himself. Steinbeck describes his eyes as “full of the brooding that gets in the eyes of teamsters and of sailors” (4). Teamsters and sailors were known for being rough men, separated from their loved ones for long periods, often leaving them lonely. It seems that the Tinker is only satisfied when he gains work, which he will do through whatever means necessary, even manipulating and flattering Elisa.
Gender Inequality and Repression of Women
Steinbeck makes a subtle yet powerful point about the place women occupied in society at the time he wrote “The Chrysanthemums.” In the 1930s, women in the US could vote, but their socioeconomic opportunities were limited. Steinbeck highlights this inequality in his story. Elisa is an intelligent and capable woman, equally as intelligent and capable as her husband. Yet, Henry runs the ranch and calls the shots. He makes the deal for the cattle and plans dinner in Salinas. Elisa watches from a distance while he does business, and receives information filtered through her husband. He does not view her as an equal or partner. While he recognizes Elisa’s strength later in the story, he never utilizes it.
The Tinker is more on Elisa’s level, and she finds his company intellectually and physically stimulating. He still does not consider her an equal, however. He cannot match or understand her passion. The Tinker also considers life on the road to be unfit for women, because it can be lonely and scary. He, like most men in the 1930s, does not think a woman should be alone. He assumes she cannot take care of herself and needs a man to protect her.
Both men represent a patriarchal society. Elisa is a strong and capable woman. She is efficient, energetic, intelligent, and organized. Henry even comments on her virtues, yet he doesn’t see that her abilities extend past the garden. Elisa is clever and flirts with the Tinker, but he also does not see her as anything more than a potential client. Both men misunderstand and undervalue Elisa. She tries to break out of her assigned role by offering to help Henry in the orchards and saying she could do the same work as the Tinker, yet both men ignore her offers. Elisa cries, realizing her potential is wasted.
Sexual Fulfillment
Throughout “The Chrysanthemums,” Steinbeck suggests that the need for sexual fulfillment is natural and understandable. Elisa appears unfulfilled in many ways, especially sexually. Elisa and Henry’s relationship is functional, practical, and good-natured; however, it seems passionless. They speak to one another as friends or siblings, not husband and wife. Steinbeck makes a point of noting that Elisa is 35 years old, yet she is childless, perhaps hinting at a sexless relationship. The marriage does not fulfill Elisa’s needs.
When the Tinker arrives, Elisa’s feelings are almost overwhelming. She is quick to notice his good looks, his size, his dark, brooding eyes, and his calloused hands. The reader senses sexual tension between the two characters almost immediately. The Tinker is flirty, leaning farther and farther over the fence while talking to Elisa. Elisa flirts back, taking off her thick gloves and fixing her hair. When talking about her flowers, she uses physical and sensual language to describe her sensations, kneeling in front of him in a subtle act of submission. At the height of the story, she reaches out to touch a man who is not her husband. All of this speaks to her powerful attraction to the Tinker and her great desire for sexual fulfillment.
Nothing comes of her advances, and she still feels unfulfilled. Steinbeck’s language in the next few paragraphs speaks to her suppressed energy. When she goes inside to bathe, Steinbeck writes that she “tore” off her clothes and “flung” them in a corner. She then scrubs her “legs and thighs, loins and chest and arms,” and examines her naked body, paying close attention to her breasts and waist (8). Elisa is in touch with her feelings and her body’s needs. She even dresses carefully for her dinner with her husband, putting on her newest underclothes and nicest stockings and carefully applying makeup (8). She wants to appear attractive, although the reader can assume that Henry will not give her the attention she wants.
The theme of sexual unfulfillment remains until the end of the story. Despite her efforts to appear attractive to both the Tinker and her husband, both men ignore Elisa’s advances. The Tinker throws away her chrysanthemums, and Henry, though telling his wife that she looks nice, does not give her the attention and fulfillment that she is seeking. In the last paragraph, Elisa feels weak and undesirable.
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