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The Chrysanthemums
Elisa Allen is tending her chrysanthemums. Strong, with a handsome face she skilfully and proudly cultivates the best in the valley. Tonight, her husband is taking her to town. While she works, a squeak of heels and a plod of hoofs bring a curious vehicle, curiously drawn: a tradesman looking for directions and a job. He is met with curt replies and a hardened resistance. Then he notices her chrysanthemums.
With his characteristic insight and evocative language, John Steinbeck creates a short story of a brief but striking encounter. Set in Salinas Valley, where he grew up, it dissects the myriad complexities of humanity, society and hidden longings.' to 'Elisa Allen is tending her chrysanthemums. Strong, with a handsome face she skilfully and proudly cultivates the best in the valley. Tonight, her husband is taking her to town. While she works, a squeak of heels and a plod of hoofs bring a curious vehicle, curiously a tradesman looking for directions and a job. He is met with curt replies and a hardened resistance. Then he notices her chrysanthemums. With his characteristic insight and evocative language, John Steinbeck creates a short story of a brief but striking encounter. Set in Salinas Valley, where he grew up, it dissects the myriad complexities of humanity, society and hidden longings.
With his characteristic insight and evocative language, John Steinbeck creates a short story of a brief but striking encounter. Set in Salinas Valley, where he grew up, it dissects the myriad complexities of humanity, society and hidden longings.' to 'Elisa Allen is tending her chrysanthemums. Strong, with a handsome face she skilfully and proudly cultivates the best in the valley. Tonight, her husband is taking her to town. While she works, a squeak of heels and a plod of hoofs bring a curious vehicle, curiously a tradesman looking for directions and a job. He is met with curt replies and a hardened resistance. Then he notices her chrysanthemums. With his characteristic insight and evocative language, John Steinbeck creates a short story of a brief but striking encounter. Set in Salinas Valley, where he grew up, it dissects the myriad complexities of humanity, society and hidden longings.
33 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
36 people are currently reading
2293 people want to read
About the author
John Steinbeck
1,040 books26.4k followersJohn Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception". He has been called "a giant of American letters."
During his writing career, he authored 33 books, with one book coauthored alongside Edward F. Ricketts, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and two collections of short stories. He is widely known for the comic novels Tortilla Flat (1935) and Cannery Row (1945), the multi-generation epic East of Eden (1952), and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). The Pulitzer Prize–winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece and part of the American literary canon. By the 75th anniversary of its publishing date, it had sold 14 million copies.
Most of Steinbeck's work is set in central California, particularly in the Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His works frequently explored the themes of fate and injustice, especially as applied to downtrodden or everyman protagonists.
During his writing career, he authored 33 books, with one book coauthored alongside Edward F. Ricketts, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and two collections of short stories. He is widely known for the comic novels Tortilla Flat (1935) and Cannery Row (1945), the multi-generation epic East of Eden (1952), and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). The Pulitzer Prize–winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece and part of the American literary canon. By the 75th anniversary of its publishing date, it had sold 14 million copies.
Most of Steinbeck's work is set in central California, particularly in the Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His works frequently explored the themes of fate and injustice, especially as applied to downtrodden or everyman protagonists.
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June 20, 2020
Chrysanthemums are flowers with a strong connotation of grief and mourning in Belgium. Like in France, Italy, Spain and Poland the chrysanthemum is associated with funerals and the period we commemorate the dead by visiting the cemetery on or around All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day. Even if the tradition is fading with the younger generations, those days cemeteries are flocked with people transforming them into colourful seas of flowers by gracing the graves of their loved ones with pots of chrysanthemums - the autumnal flowers par excellence. In contrast with their Asian origins were they stood for longevity and a happy life, joy and elegance, the funerary traditions have overshadowed this life-affirming significances; getting offered chrysanthemums at other occasions for this reason might still be regarded as socially inappropriate and even offensive for some people, however florists try to alter their imago now sales figures of the flowers are declining. Thinking of chrysanthemums, I sense my feet walking those cemeteries in November and hear the words of Jacques Brel’s J’arrive in my head:
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
Nos amitiés sont en partance
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
La mort potence nos dulcinées
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
Les autres fleurs font ce qu'elles peuvent
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
Les hommes pleurent les femmes pleuvent
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
A chaque fois plus solitaire
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
A chaque fois surnuméraire
J'arrive j'arrive
J'arrive, bien sûr j'arrive
N'ai-je jamais rien fait d'autre qu'arriver
Conditioned by these sombre associations since my youth, reading Steinbeck The Chrysanthemums asked for a mental somersault, for looking through another cultural lens, as chrysanthemums are blessed with quite different connotations in the United States, where they are regarded as positive and cheerful, and signify long life, fidelity, joy and optimism. As the diverse functions and meanings of the flowers in this story turned out quite metaphorical as well as multi-interpretable, I needed to read the story twice, sensing I was missing the mark because of unawareness of this cultural difference with my own frame of reference.
I picked this story for reading because it popped up here as a recommendation what to read next after reading Edith Wharton’s short story Roman Fever, which I experienced as an adept connection, as it is also exploring the stifling plight of women in the context of a particular milieu and times – here rural America in the 1930ies (the story was published in 1937 and can be read here). We meet Elisa Allen, a farmer’s wife, living an isolated life with her husband on a ranch in the Salinas Valley in California (Steinbeck’s ‘Long Valley’) having only the house and her garden to tend to, which she does with fierce dedication. When a wandering tinker stops at Elisa’s garden fence to offer his services, his opportunistic sweet-talking on the chrysanthemums she is growing and in which she takes immense joy and pride , unleashes dormant and repressed feelings in her which will catalyse the narrative. Steinbeck deftly shows the ambivalence and transformation in Elisa’s behaviour dealing with the tinker, how she oscillates from her strong and firm rejecting attitude towards softening into feminine vulnerability and shifting from strength to powerlessness. Suggesting in various respects Elisa is longing for a different life, beautifully echoing her emotions, moods and situation by arresting descriptions of the desolate, foggy winter landscape, Steinbeck leaves the digging for the roots of Elisa’s frustration and the motifs for her acts to the interpretation of the reader – is it her childlessness, or sexual frustration, or a longing for power or strength, for living an equally free life like men can?
In a letter to a friend Steinbeck wrote about this story ‘Most of our literature was written by men, and I am inclined to believe that they have given us other men a highly erroneous idea of sex….At least Katherine, I play safe. I use only the outward manifestations of some I have known. I make no attempt to enter their minds except when their thoughts have been obvious to me in some given experiences’. Having his portrayal of the inner life of Elisa Allen in mind, his words strike me as too modest. Without expounding on Elisa’s thoughts, or the ones of the other characters, engaging the reader’s empathy and inviting into profound understanding, he gives insight in the different and at first sight maybe self-contradictory desires reigning his protagonist’s heart and mind, evoking brilliantly the complex psyche of this 35 year old woman through her ambivalent and puzzling behaviour, gracefully linking it to how she relates to and treats her own body, showing the confusion she is prey to, how she feels betrayed by her husband, as well as by the tinker, and eventually by life. He subtly addresses gender roles and issues in a patriarchal society and so illustrates powerfully truly great authors manage to get into the skin of a character whether man or woman and know how to touch on the essence of the human condition, regardless of their gender. To me, this story about this strong yet fragile woman has a quite feminist feel and in my view Steinbeck rather denounces the miserable effects of misogyny epitomised by his male characters than approving of the submission of women in this particular context.
Do we only exist as far as we are seen and validated in our existence by others, as far as our significance is confirmed? To me the tragedy of Elisa Allen is in not being seen, not being appreciated as she is, in being denied an identity, in being invisible as a woman, like Carolin Emcke points out happens so often to people who from ‘our’ own perspective are ‘unlike us’ – ‘us’ in this story the male view, looking at women without really seeing them, as if women do not belong to the same species as men (represented here by the husband and the tinker):
‘Not being seen, not being recognised, being invisible to others really is the most existential form of contempt. Those who are invisible, who are not socially accepted, who do not belong to any ‘Us’. Their utterances are ignored, their gestures overlooked. Those who are invisible have no feelings, no needs, no rights.’ (Carolin Emcke, Against Hate)
Poor Elisa, ending up devoid of illusions, thrown away in full bloom like her so treasured flowers, left to perish on the dusty road of despondency. A sad and bitter story of which I could imagine many a woman, despite women have come a long way since, at present day still could relate to at one point or another in life.
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
Nos amitiés sont en partance
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
La mort potence nos dulcinées
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
Les autres fleurs font ce qu'elles peuvent
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
Les hommes pleurent les femmes pleuvent
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
A chaque fois plus solitaire
De chrysanthèmes en chrysanthèmes
A chaque fois surnuméraire
J'arrive j'arrive
J'arrive, bien sûr j'arrive
N'ai-je jamais rien fait d'autre qu'arriver
Conditioned by these sombre associations since my youth, reading Steinbeck The Chrysanthemums asked for a mental somersault, for looking through another cultural lens, as chrysanthemums are blessed with quite different connotations in the United States, where they are regarded as positive and cheerful, and signify long life, fidelity, joy and optimism. As the diverse functions and meanings of the flowers in this story turned out quite metaphorical as well as multi-interpretable, I needed to read the story twice, sensing I was missing the mark because of unawareness of this cultural difference with my own frame of reference.
I picked this story for reading because it popped up here as a recommendation what to read next after reading Edith Wharton’s short story Roman Fever, which I experienced as an adept connection, as it is also exploring the stifling plight of women in the context of a particular milieu and times – here rural America in the 1930ies (the story was published in 1937 and can be read here). We meet Elisa Allen, a farmer’s wife, living an isolated life with her husband on a ranch in the Salinas Valley in California (Steinbeck’s ‘Long Valley’) having only the house and her garden to tend to, which she does with fierce dedication. When a wandering tinker stops at Elisa’s garden fence to offer his services, his opportunistic sweet-talking on the chrysanthemums she is growing and in which she takes immense joy and pride , unleashes dormant and repressed feelings in her which will catalyse the narrative. Steinbeck deftly shows the ambivalence and transformation in Elisa’s behaviour dealing with the tinker, how she oscillates from her strong and firm rejecting attitude towards softening into feminine vulnerability and shifting from strength to powerlessness. Suggesting in various respects Elisa is longing for a different life, beautifully echoing her emotions, moods and situation by arresting descriptions of the desolate, foggy winter landscape, Steinbeck leaves the digging for the roots of Elisa’s frustration and the motifs for her acts to the interpretation of the reader – is it her childlessness, or sexual frustration, or a longing for power or strength, for living an equally free life like men can?
In a letter to a friend Steinbeck wrote about this story ‘Most of our literature was written by men, and I am inclined to believe that they have given us other men a highly erroneous idea of sex….At least Katherine, I play safe. I use only the outward manifestations of some I have known. I make no attempt to enter their minds except when their thoughts have been obvious to me in some given experiences’. Having his portrayal of the inner life of Elisa Allen in mind, his words strike me as too modest. Without expounding on Elisa’s thoughts, or the ones of the other characters, engaging the reader’s empathy and inviting into profound understanding, he gives insight in the different and at first sight maybe self-contradictory desires reigning his protagonist’s heart and mind, evoking brilliantly the complex psyche of this 35 year old woman through her ambivalent and puzzling behaviour, gracefully linking it to how she relates to and treats her own body, showing the confusion she is prey to, how she feels betrayed by her husband, as well as by the tinker, and eventually by life. He subtly addresses gender roles and issues in a patriarchal society and so illustrates powerfully truly great authors manage to get into the skin of a character whether man or woman and know how to touch on the essence of the human condition, regardless of their gender. To me, this story about this strong yet fragile woman has a quite feminist feel and in my view Steinbeck rather denounces the miserable effects of misogyny epitomised by his male characters than approving of the submission of women in this particular context.
Do we only exist as far as we are seen and validated in our existence by others, as far as our significance is confirmed? To me the tragedy of Elisa Allen is in not being seen, not being appreciated as she is, in being denied an identity, in being invisible as a woman, like Carolin Emcke points out happens so often to people who from ‘our’ own perspective are ‘unlike us’ – ‘us’ in this story the male view, looking at women without really seeing them, as if women do not belong to the same species as men (represented here by the husband and the tinker):
‘Not being seen, not being recognised, being invisible to others really is the most existential form of contempt. Those who are invisible, who are not socially accepted, who do not belong to any ‘Us’. Their utterances are ignored, their gestures overlooked. Those who are invisible have no feelings, no needs, no rights.’ (Carolin Emcke, Against Hate)
Poor Elisa, ending up devoid of illusions, thrown away in full bloom like her so treasured flowers, left to perish on the dusty road of despondency. A sad and bitter story of which I could imagine many a woman, despite women have come a long way since, at present day still could relate to at one point or another in life.
March 7, 2013
Filled with metaphors and symbolism, "The Chrysanthemums" is an overwhelmingly realistic portrayal of a woman's struggles in a patriarchal world where intelligent women are sadly overlooked. With simple, narrative language, Steinbeck brings Elisa to life - a middle-age woman married to a man who has absolutely no understanding of what she needs.
Throughout the text, it is apparent to readers that Elisa seems to be at conflict with herself. During the first scene when she is first introduced, she is gardening as she wears her "gardening costume" which completely masks her femininity. It is ironic that gardening, an activity often associated with domestic femininity, is significant in highlighting Elisa's masculinity.
However, as the tinker arrives to the scene, it seems that Elisa's character takes a sudden shift. No longer an angular, masculine figure, Elisa is now revealed as a feminine, attractive figure, as represented by her physical change as she takes off her gloves, "tore off the battered hat and shook out her dark pretty hair". Kneeling on the ground in front of the tinker, Elisa is in a sexually submissive position, which underlines to readers the alienation and loneliness she suffers. Her use of blatantly sexual language and position to a mere stranger stresses the vulnerability of Elisa, who is desperate to find her equal. This makes the tinker's brash, direct refusal more damaging to Elisa's feelings and needs.
In response to the tinker's refusal, Elisa tries to show him another side of herself - her witty, strong side, as she banters almost playfully with the tinker. She even gives a part of herself, the chrysanthemums, to the tinker. Similarly, after the tinker leaves, Elisa once again shows a pretty, feminine side to Henry, her husband. Instead of some heartfelt, articulate sentiment of appreciation, Henry comments to Elisa's transformation with a mere "so nice!", indirectly turning down her feminine side. This contrasts with the later scene when Elisa sees that the tinker, the one she holds so much hope and expectations for, has thrown away the pot of chrysanthemums, just as her own husband does.
Hence, Elisa's multiple, conflicting characters is vital in emphasizing her tragic isolation. Both her feminine side and masculine side have been turned down by the male characters in the text, starkly bringing light to Elisa's destroyed hopes, which is symbolized by the abandoned chrysanthemums.
Throughout the text, it is apparent to readers that Elisa seems to be at conflict with herself. During the first scene when she is first introduced, she is gardening as she wears her "gardening costume" which completely masks her femininity. It is ironic that gardening, an activity often associated with domestic femininity, is significant in highlighting Elisa's masculinity.
However, as the tinker arrives to the scene, it seems that Elisa's character takes a sudden shift. No longer an angular, masculine figure, Elisa is now revealed as a feminine, attractive figure, as represented by her physical change as she takes off her gloves, "tore off the battered hat and shook out her dark pretty hair". Kneeling on the ground in front of the tinker, Elisa is in a sexually submissive position, which underlines to readers the alienation and loneliness she suffers. Her use of blatantly sexual language and position to a mere stranger stresses the vulnerability of Elisa, who is desperate to find her equal. This makes the tinker's brash, direct refusal more damaging to Elisa's feelings and needs.
In response to the tinker's refusal, Elisa tries to show him another side of herself - her witty, strong side, as she banters almost playfully with the tinker. She even gives a part of herself, the chrysanthemums, to the tinker. Similarly, after the tinker leaves, Elisa once again shows a pretty, feminine side to Henry, her husband. Instead of some heartfelt, articulate sentiment of appreciation, Henry comments to Elisa's transformation with a mere "so nice!", indirectly turning down her feminine side. This contrasts with the later scene when Elisa sees that the tinker, the one she holds so much hope and expectations for, has thrown away the pot of chrysanthemums, just as her own husband does.
Hence, Elisa's multiple, conflicting characters is vital in emphasizing her tragic isolation. Both her feminine side and masculine side have been turned down by the male characters in the text, starkly bringing light to Elisa's destroyed hopes, which is symbolized by the abandoned chrysanthemums.
August 22, 2020
An interesting story of an entrapped woman, caught in the role that women are forced to fill and excluded from the power and strength that are seen as male roles. Elisa's dissatisfaction with her life, and her attempt to achieve some sense of accomplishment through the chrysanthemums, highlights the inequality between the two sexes.
It is Steinbeck, so it goes without saying it is well written.
It is Steinbeck, so it goes without saying it is well written.
March 25, 2019
Una historia muy cortita (tiene poco más de 50 páginas) en la que el papel de la mujer es el eje central. Hasta que no lo terminas no te das cuenta de la cantidad de críticas y reflexiones que quiere transmitir el autor, tanto abiertamente como de manera simbólica.
Os la recomiendo.
Reseña: https://contandoteunlibro.blogspot.co...
Os la recomiendo.
Reseña: https://contandoteunlibro.blogspot.co...
June 23, 2021
You could read this story in 15 minutes – and I highly recommend you do. There is not much to spoil, if I am being honest. It’s a story with three characters – Elisa Allen, Henry Allen (her husband), and a travelling tinkerer that stops by. Elisa’s chrysanthemums are beautiful, vibrant. The Wiki reliably informs me that the chrysanthemum is the official flower of Salinas, California, where most of Steinbeck’s stories take place – so Elisa is also deeply in tune with a sense of place, her geography. And that’s basically it.
Subtle doesn’t even come close to capturing what actually happens in this story. I read it once, put it down, and thought “Okay?”. I had another 15 minutes, so I read it again. I caught a bit more of it, but the impression was the same. Didn’t gain much. I started to explore using secondary sources, digging into the symbolism and the structure of the story – only to realize how surface-level my understanding had been. Ideas of fertility, independence, women’s rights, desire, loyalty, everything is explored in such a short amount of time. I am not by any means qualified to discuss these ideas, but it’s good to read something so pure and so masterful once in a while, if only to realize that I need years and years of active reading to start to interpret stories close to what the author had originally intended.
Subtle doesn’t even come close to capturing what actually happens in this story. I read it once, put it down, and thought “Okay?”. I had another 15 minutes, so I read it again. I caught a bit more of it, but the impression was the same. Didn’t gain much. I started to explore using secondary sources, digging into the symbolism and the structure of the story – only to realize how surface-level my understanding had been. Ideas of fertility, independence, women’s rights, desire, loyalty, everything is explored in such a short amount of time. I am not by any means qualified to discuss these ideas, but it’s good to read something so pure and so masterful once in a while, if only to realize that I need years and years of active reading to start to interpret stories close to what the author had originally intended.
September 4, 2020
This short story, written by Steinbeck , was a selection for my short story group. Initially I was disappointed, lulled only by the simplicity of the tale. It seemed to me that this was merely about a young woman whose sole interest and major activity was growing her prize-winning chrysanthemums. While contemplating this I came upon the realization that the story, despite its superficially simple narration, is brimming with symbolism.
Elsa, the major character tends to her garden with unwavering devotion. Her life is one of isolation with only her husband on a ranch. Her encounter with a wandering tinker unleashes unexpected feelings and a loosening of her formal, dormant and rejecting attitude. Steinbeck delicately, yet deftly, displays how her digging for the roots of her lovely flowers equates with a search for a different existence.
Much more could be added here, but it is, after all, a short story!
Elsa, the major character tends to her garden with unwavering devotion. Her life is one of isolation with only her husband on a ranch. Her encounter with a wandering tinker unleashes unexpected feelings and a loosening of her formal, dormant and rejecting attitude. Steinbeck delicately, yet deftly, displays how her digging for the roots of her lovely flowers equates with a search for a different existence.
Much more could be added here, but it is, after all, a short story!
July 4, 2018
This was a lovely little short story of a day out on a ranch in California where the Wife grows beautiful Chrysanthemums.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
May 6, 2023
Una historia corta que se lee de una manera muy fluida
Ambientada en un espacio rural, un matrimonio que tiene un rancho, ellos son Henry y Elisa.
La historia empieza con una escena convencional, Henry negociando venta de ganada y Elisa ocupándose de su jardín, en un intervalo, Henry se acerca para comentarle que hizo un buen negocio y proponerle que salgan a cenar para festejar, en cuanto el regrese de hacer la entrega de los animales, Elisa acepta y se queda trabajando en el jardín con los crisantemos.
En este intervalo llega un señor con su carreta ofreciendo servicios de reparación y preguntándole indicaciones sobre el camino.
Hay dos temas que parecen constantes durante el relato, uno son los crisantemos y otro la vitalidad de Elisa.
Elisa es una experta plantadora, se describen sus habilidades y siempre la vemos feliz cuando esta trabajando en ellos, el señor de la carreta logra romper su desconfianza preguntándole por las flores y pidiéndole semillas para una señora que es su clienta.
¿Porque escoger crisantemos? Al parecer por qué se parecen a la misma Elisa, tienen una belleza extraña, tienen un tallo fuerte y florecen en otoño 🍂, en eso también se parecen a ella quien está cerca de los 40, por así decirlo en el otoño de su vida.
Con respecto a la vitalidad y fuerza de Elisa, se mencionan como atributos, pero cuando ella expresa lo fuerte que es por ejemplo diciéndole al sr de la carreta que ella bien podría manejarla e ir por esos caminos, el le dice que eso sería peligroso y no propio de una señora; cuando ella le pregunta al marido si el box es muy violento, pues leyó que se rompen la nariz, y sale mucha sangre, el se sorprende, diciéndole que nunca pensó que ella leyera ese tipo de cosas, como dando entender que son muy violentas para ella.
Esta constante de decir que Elisa es fuerte y vital pero al mismo tiempo siendo limitada por los hombres con los que interactua, cuando quiere exponer sus ideas o su anhelo de hacer más cosas, es lo que le da al relato un gran punto de reflexión.
Lo he disfrutado mucho, y me ha gustado que otra flor que no sea una rosa 🌹, tome protagonismo, en este caso el crisantemo.
Cita: “Cuando la noche es oscura…, bueno, las estrellas brillan intensamente y todo es silencio. Y bueno, ¡te elevas cada vez más! Y cada estrella te traspasa. Es así. Ardiente e intenso y… maravilloso.”
Ambientada en un espacio rural, un matrimonio que tiene un rancho, ellos son Henry y Elisa.
La historia empieza con una escena convencional, Henry negociando venta de ganada y Elisa ocupándose de su jardín, en un intervalo, Henry se acerca para comentarle que hizo un buen negocio y proponerle que salgan a cenar para festejar, en cuanto el regrese de hacer la entrega de los animales, Elisa acepta y se queda trabajando en el jardín con los crisantemos.
En este intervalo llega un señor con su carreta ofreciendo servicios de reparación y preguntándole indicaciones sobre el camino.
Hay dos temas que parecen constantes durante el relato, uno son los crisantemos y otro la vitalidad de Elisa.
Elisa es una experta plantadora, se describen sus habilidades y siempre la vemos feliz cuando esta trabajando en ellos, el señor de la carreta logra romper su desconfianza preguntándole por las flores y pidiéndole semillas para una señora que es su clienta.
¿Porque escoger crisantemos? Al parecer por qué se parecen a la misma Elisa, tienen una belleza extraña, tienen un tallo fuerte y florecen en otoño 🍂, en eso también se parecen a ella quien está cerca de los 40, por así decirlo en el otoño de su vida.
Con respecto a la vitalidad y fuerza de Elisa, se mencionan como atributos, pero cuando ella expresa lo fuerte que es por ejemplo diciéndole al sr de la carreta que ella bien podría manejarla e ir por esos caminos, el le dice que eso sería peligroso y no propio de una señora; cuando ella le pregunta al marido si el box es muy violento, pues leyó que se rompen la nariz, y sale mucha sangre, el se sorprende, diciéndole que nunca pensó que ella leyera ese tipo de cosas, como dando entender que son muy violentas para ella.
Esta constante de decir que Elisa es fuerte y vital pero al mismo tiempo siendo limitada por los hombres con los que interactua, cuando quiere exponer sus ideas o su anhelo de hacer más cosas, es lo que le da al relato un gran punto de reflexión.
Lo he disfrutado mucho, y me ha gustado que otra flor que no sea una rosa 🌹, tome protagonismo, en este caso el crisantemo.
Cita: “Cuando la noche es oscura…, bueno, las estrellas brillan intensamente y todo es silencio. Y bueno, ¡te elevas cada vez más! Y cada estrella te traspasa. Es así. Ardiente e intenso y… maravilloso.”
December 27, 2017
Lo he leído y lo he vuelto a releer nada más terminar. Una forma sutil de retratar el papel de la mujer en un mundo de hombres, un papel que impide elegir una vida diferente al cuidado del hogar o explorar nuevas posibilidades. Y el cultivo de los crisantemos se convierte en el refugio de Elisa, y lo hace francamente bien, pero también se da cuenta que es completamente capaz de realizar cualquier tarea que se proponga, si tan solo le dejaran intentarlo...
November 28, 2020
Segunda obra que leo de Steinbeck y segunda obra que me deja con un muy buen sabor de boca.
Desde la historia misma, hasta el mensaje que transmite para el final, todo a un buen ritmo. Además, se lee en poco tiempo.
Recomendable.
Desde la historia misma, hasta el mensaje que transmite para el final, todo a un buen ritmo. Además, se lee en poco tiempo.
Recomendable.
May 5, 2024
(review in English below)
Um curto mas intenso episódio, com maravilhosas descrições.
Muito bem escrito, apenas soube a pouco. Fiquei com muita vontade de saber mais sobre estas personagens!
E que o autor me perdoe a ousadia, mas acho que o conto devia chamar-se Planting Hands.
Felizmente, ainda me falta ler bastantes obras de Steinbeck!
A short but intense episode, with marvellous descriptions.
Very well written, I just wanted more and I wished I could know these characters a little better!
And asking for Mr. Steinbeck's indulgence, I think this story should be called Planting Hands.
Fortunately, I still have quite a few of Steinbeck's books to read!
Um curto mas intenso episódio, com maravilhosas descrições.
Muito bem escrito, apenas soube a pouco. Fiquei com muita vontade de saber mais sobre estas personagens!
E que o autor me perdoe a ousadia, mas acho que o conto devia chamar-se Planting Hands.
Felizmente, ainda me falta ler bastantes obras de Steinbeck!
A short but intense episode, with marvellous descriptions.
Very well written, I just wanted more and I wished I could know these characters a little better!
And asking for Mr. Steinbeck's indulgence, I think this story should be called Planting Hands.
Fortunately, I still have quite a few of Steinbeck's books to read!
March 30, 2018
Uno de mis escritores favoritos, narrador del realismo social, describe en este breve y hermoso relato la fuerza de las mujeres, representadas todas ellas en la figura de Elisa Allen.
En el simbolismo de hacer crecer unos crisantemos enormes y preciosos subyace la idea de la igualdad de género, que es justa, y que el hecho de tener que estar siempre reinvindicando escuece y provoca mucha tristeza, dolor e impotencia.
Maravilloso.
En el simbolismo de hacer crecer unos crisantemos enormes y preciosos subyace la idea de la igualdad de género, que es justa, y que el hecho de tener que estar siempre reinvindicando escuece y provoca mucha tristeza, dolor e impotencia.
Maravilloso.
November 8, 2015
What lovely flowers are chrysanthemums! And this story is like them - several petals of symbolism. There are more things which are left unsaid than the said ones. Short stories must be hard to write. So many things had to be trimmed and arranged so they convey the message with least possible words.
The strong, beautiful, brilliant yet neglected lady, the normal, mediocre tinker and the husband, they're all the story has. The isolated, closed valley with "lid on", the lack of sunshine in winter portraying lack n hence longing for happiness. Elisa, hardworking, talented and full of energy and gifted hands but rarely acknowledged by her husband in a way she does wish. An arrival of stranger in valley by accident and igniting spark in her life. Her desires soon thrown away by the stranger like he throws her chrysanthemums plants and also by her husband. Finally Elisa succumbing to the last resort of tears and hopelessness.
Things which are never perfect in real life always make for perfect piece of writing, don't they?
The strong, beautiful, brilliant yet neglected lady, the normal, mediocre tinker and the husband, they're all the story has. The isolated, closed valley with "lid on", the lack of sunshine in winter portraying lack n hence longing for happiness. Elisa, hardworking, talented and full of energy and gifted hands but rarely acknowledged by her husband in a way she does wish. An arrival of stranger in valley by accident and igniting spark in her life. Her desires soon thrown away by the stranger like he throws her chrysanthemums plants and also by her husband. Finally Elisa succumbing to the last resort of tears and hopelessness.
Things which are never perfect in real life always make for perfect piece of writing, don't they?
January 8, 2019
I was very disappointed after reading this short tale: the story wasn’t engaging enough and it lacked the sort of excitement that you would otherwise find in the author’s most famous work, such as The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice And Men. I did enjoy the relationship between the couple. Other than that, I believe the tale is rather incomplete.
January 3, 2023
I'm on spree for reading short classics.
Short stories have a punch that many a times even hefty 500+ pages novels can't deliver. Of course it is not easy and not manageable by everyone. Steinbeck on the other hand, is master of it. I have read his The Red Pony ,The Pearl, Of Mice and Men and many others and he never disappointed me.
The chrysanthemums was a similar read but quite confusing. The chrysanthemum became associated with death rather than life in European cultures because of its prevalent use as gravesite decoration. In the U.S. it has grown in popularity since its introduction in the colonial period. It is now commonly referred to as “the Queen of fall flowers”.
White chrysanthemums are usually used to symbolise grief and mourning in the European countries, a symbol of sympathy but In the United States, chrysanthemums symbolize friendship, happiness, and well-being, also honor and respect. They are often tied to the arrival of autumn since they are one of the most popular fall flowers.
In Asia the chrysanthemum signifies life and rebirth, making them great gifts for birthdays and baby showers.
As I was not aware of the symbolism connected with chrysanthemums it didn't click me what and why Steinbeck choose chrysanthemums for. Even after knowing I'm far away from the deep message this book is supposed to pass on but yet here I'm trying.
The story starts with John explaining the foggy weather in 1930s on a Salinas valley, where a rancher's 35 years old wife Elisa is working on her chrysanthemums. She is proud of her ability of having planter's hands. When her husband leaves for some work, a tinker comes and asks her for pots and pans to mend. Elisa doesn't let her guard down and tells him she can't help him.
The tinker tries to persuade her but she doesn't budge. He then manipulates her into giving him trade by exploiting her passion for chrysanthemums. He tells her that another lady wanted chrysanthemums and so Elisa gives him pot with few buds. When Elisa wonders how his life is— living in a wagon, she even calls herself his rival as she can do well what he does to which he replies that it ain't no life for a woman. Elisa's flirtatious behaviour along with her need to go with tinker shows that she is rather living a dull life and craves for an adventurous life.
After tinker leaves, Elisa goes to get fresh for movie and dinner the couple had planned. But the encounter with the tinker has changed something in her. Henry, her husband, upon his arrival, says that she looks nice and strong to which she asks what does he mean by that. She tries to do what a normal woman will do contrary to her normal self, like taking her own time to go out while her husband waits for her which she normally wouldn't have done.
While going to dinner, she sees tinker has discarded her buds representing his rejection of hers again. Exasperated by her newly found self, She asks her husband if they can have wine at dinner and also about the boxing fights. When she passes the wagon, she cries like a old woman unaware to her husband.
The symbolism used throughout the book is classic of Steinbeck. The foggy weather compares to the overall mood Elisa is in. Her appearance before and after she met tinker is suggestive of a change in her. Her asking about fights and for wine at dinner is suggestive of how enraged and disheartened she is feeling of this sudden dismissal which she wasn't even aware of. Her sexuality, forced to lie dormant for so long, overwhelms her and crushes her spirit after springing to life so suddenly.
Throughout the book, the adjectives used for Elisa are not delicate or feminine. They are mostly manly, she is even shown to wear a man's cap. Her disappointment with tinker is even great when she realises he has discarded the buds as it will mean that she will have to continue living the same old life of hers.
The Chrysanthemums in mere few pages was able to give us insight into a woman's mind and that Steinbeck could understand women's plea & agitation quite well.
You can read it here —
https://literaryfictions.com/fiction-...
Short stories have a punch that many a times even hefty 500+ pages novels can't deliver. Of course it is not easy and not manageable by everyone. Steinbeck on the other hand, is master of it. I have read his The Red Pony ,The Pearl, Of Mice and Men and many others and he never disappointed me.
The chrysanthemums was a similar read but quite confusing. The chrysanthemum became associated with death rather than life in European cultures because of its prevalent use as gravesite decoration. In the U.S. it has grown in popularity since its introduction in the colonial period. It is now commonly referred to as “the Queen of fall flowers”.
White chrysanthemums are usually used to symbolise grief and mourning in the European countries, a symbol of sympathy but In the United States, chrysanthemums symbolize friendship, happiness, and well-being, also honor and respect. They are often tied to the arrival of autumn since they are one of the most popular fall flowers.
In Asia the chrysanthemum signifies life and rebirth, making them great gifts for birthdays and baby showers.
As I was not aware of the symbolism connected with chrysanthemums it didn't click me what and why Steinbeck choose chrysanthemums for. Even after knowing I'm far away from the deep message this book is supposed to pass on but yet here I'm trying.
The story starts with John explaining the foggy weather in 1930s on a Salinas valley, where a rancher's 35 years old wife Elisa is working on her chrysanthemums. She is proud of her ability of having planter's hands. When her husband leaves for some work, a tinker comes and asks her for pots and pans to mend. Elisa doesn't let her guard down and tells him she can't help him.
The tinker tries to persuade her but she doesn't budge. He then manipulates her into giving him trade by exploiting her passion for chrysanthemums. He tells her that another lady wanted chrysanthemums and so Elisa gives him pot with few buds. When Elisa wonders how his life is— living in a wagon, she even calls herself his rival as she can do well what he does to which he replies that it ain't no life for a woman. Elisa's flirtatious behaviour along with her need to go with tinker shows that she is rather living a dull life and craves for an adventurous life.
After tinker leaves, Elisa goes to get fresh for movie and dinner the couple had planned. But the encounter with the tinker has changed something in her. Henry, her husband, upon his arrival, says that she looks nice and strong to which she asks what does he mean by that. She tries to do what a normal woman will do contrary to her normal self, like taking her own time to go out while her husband waits for her which she normally wouldn't have done.
While going to dinner, she sees tinker has discarded her buds representing his rejection of hers again. Exasperated by her newly found self, She asks her husband if they can have wine at dinner and also about the boxing fights. When she passes the wagon, she cries like a old woman unaware to her husband.
The symbolism used throughout the book is classic of Steinbeck. The foggy weather compares to the overall mood Elisa is in. Her appearance before and after she met tinker is suggestive of a change in her. Her asking about fights and for wine at dinner is suggestive of how enraged and disheartened she is feeling of this sudden dismissal which she wasn't even aware of. Her sexuality, forced to lie dormant for so long, overwhelms her and crushes her spirit after springing to life so suddenly.
Throughout the book, the adjectives used for Elisa are not delicate or feminine. They are mostly manly, she is even shown to wear a man's cap. Her disappointment with tinker is even great when she realises he has discarded the buds as it will mean that she will have to continue living the same old life of hers.
The Chrysanthemums in mere few pages was able to give us insight into a woman's mind and that Steinbeck could understand women's plea & agitation quite well.
You can read it here —
https://literaryfictions.com/fiction-...
May 11, 2016
Steinbeck does a great job of creating an insightful story that portrays ideas such as feminism, gender inequality, patriarchy and gender stereotyping. And considering this was written in the 1930s makes it all the more impressive. Steinbeck was clearly aware and understanding of the plights women faced and still face today. I'd strongly suggest taking the short time to read this. Although written decades ago this story is still relevant to today's society and culture.
December 15, 2022
Me gusta cuando la literatura transmite más en los silencios que en la escritura. Hay mensajes que son como espíritus flotando sobre las palabras escritas, es como si no existieran o mejor dicho, no existen, bien podríamos pensar que en un texto, lo que no está en tinta, simplemente no es. Los crisantemos es justo así, un relato lleno de mensajes que no existen hasta que nosotros al pensarlos, les damos un soplo de vida.
September 10, 2021
Un relato corto donde se trata de la fuerza de las mujeres es el primer acercamiento del autor por mi parte seguiré con alguno más antes de introducirme en sus grandes obras
February 18, 2023
Steinbeck captures the essence of being a woman, in a man's world, with this allegoric short story with both beauty and sadness. This story is brilliant in my opinion. I could gush about this excellent piece of writing for forever. The symbolism, the meaning, oh and the discussions that follow. Each symbol has its own significance and it really blends with the story. The symbolism is what is driving the story forward. Just out-of-this-world-brilliant.
October 4, 2023
Hermosa la edición de Nórdica.
March 23, 2024
ლაკონიურად გადმოცემული ტრაგედიაა.
სტაინბეკის ამ პატარა მოთხრობაში 3 პერსონაჟი გვხვდება:
ელიზა ალენი - მთავარი პერსონაჟი და ქალი, რომელიც გაუცხოებულია საკუთარ ქმართან - ქალი, რომელსაც ვერ უგებს ვერავინ, ქალი რომელიც თავის რეალურ მხარეს მებაღის კოსტიუმით იფარავს და რეალურ სახეს ქრიზანთემაში ხედავს
მოგზაური მამაკაცი - რომელიც დაინტერესდება ელიზათი, მისცემს მას საშუალებას საკუთარ თავთან ბრძოლა დაიწყოს, მაგრამ როგორც ბოლოს აღმოჩნდება არც ამ მოგზაურს ესმის ელიზასი.
ჰენრი ალენი - ელიზას მეუღლე და ერთიშეხედვით მზრუნველი, მოსიყვარულე ქმარი, თუმცა ელიზასგან ყველაზე მეტად გაუცხოებული, რომელიც თავისი მეუღლის გადასხვაფერებას ამჩნევს, თუმცა ვერ იგებს ამ უკანასკნელის მიზეზს.
კიდევ ერთხელ გამაოცა სტაინბეკმა, ულამაზესი მეტაფორებითა და სიმბოლოებით სავსე მძიმე ამბავია, რომელსაც კიდევ უფრო ამძაფრებს დასასრულისას დაღვრილი ცრემლები - ცრემლები, რომელიც მარტოობასა და შენი ქრიზანთემების სხვებისაგან გაუცხოებას დასტირის
სტაინბეკის ამ პატარა მოთხრობაში 3 პერსონაჟი გვხვდება:
ელიზა ალენი - მთავარი პერსონაჟი და ქალი, რომელიც გაუცხოებულია საკუთარ ქმართან - ქალი, რომელსაც ვერ უგებს ვერავინ, ქალი რომელიც თავის რეალურ მხარეს მებაღის კოსტიუმით იფარავს და რეალურ სახეს ქრიზანთემაში ხედავს
მოგზაური მამაკაცი - რომელიც დაინტერესდება ელიზათი, მისცემს მას საშუალებას საკუთარ თავთან ბრძოლა დაიწყოს, მაგრამ როგორც ბოლოს აღმოჩნდება არც ამ მოგზაურს ესმის ელიზასი.
ჰენრი ალენი - ელიზას მეუღლე და ერთიშეხედვით მზრუნველი, მოსიყვარულე ქმარი, თუმცა ელიზასგან ყველაზე მეტად გაუცხოებული, რომელიც თავისი მეუღლის გადასხვაფერებას ამჩნევს, თუმცა ვერ იგებს ამ უკანასკნელის მიზეზს.
კიდევ ერთხელ გამაოცა სტაინბეკმა, ულამაზესი მეტაფორებითა და სიმბოლოებით სავსე მძიმე ამბავია, რომელსაც კიდევ უფრო ამძაფრებს დასასრულისას დაღვრილი ცრემლები - ცრემლები, რომელიც მარტოობასა და შენი ქრიზანთემების სხვებისაგან გაუცხოებას დასტირის
July 26, 2025
Quietly, almost unknowingly feminist. It’s remarkable how much meaning can be woven into a seemingly uneventful short story.
August 1, 2022
Un relato corto, pero extraordinario, en el que de John Steinbeck retrata la insatisfacción y la frustración en la vida.
Elisa, la protagonista, representa a muchos seres humanos, que viven atrapados en una existencia mediocre, impedidos de elegir un destino diferente. Así, viven la vida que deben vivir, pero no la que desearían.
Elisa, la protagonista, representa a muchos seres humanos, que viven atrapados en una existencia mediocre, impedidos de elegir un destino diferente. Así, viven la vida que deben vivir, pero no la que desearían.
February 17, 2023
Was Elisa strong?
This very short story was kind of a punch to the gut. As a 35 year old female myself… I felt more than laced between the lines. At what point does the routine become more of your identity than what is set within? Steinbeck is a gem, IMO. I can’t believe it’s taken me as long as it has to read his work. But I don’t feel I can stop now.
This very short story was kind of a punch to the gut. As a 35 year old female myself… I felt more than laced between the lines. At what point does the routine become more of your identity than what is set within? Steinbeck is a gem, IMO. I can’t believe it’s taken me as long as it has to read his work. But I don’t feel I can stop now.
May 9, 2013
Through the use of a lot of symbolism John Steinbeck--the 7th American who won the Nobel prize for literature and champion of the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed (at least in fiction)--directs his attention to the archetypal housewife of rural America. So here is Elisa, still young and attractive, apparently childless, living in a farm successfully run by her husband, with her fenced flower garden where she grows chrysanthemums (among other flowers) and that is all she does, tend her flower garden and be a wife to her husband and look after the house. One day an itinerant repairman of broken pots and pans stopped by when she was alone in her garden and they had some light talk, about his dog who got intimidated by her dogs, his job, the chrysanthemums, and she experienced a stifled joy when the man got interested in her flowers and, make no mistake about it, there was no sexual innuendo here, in this review or in the story itself. The repairman leaves, her husband arrives, she gets herself pretty for their date and and they drive off to have dinner and movie. Along the road they pass by the repairman's caravan and she took effort not to even glance at it. She hides her tears from her husband--as she was "crying weakly, like an old woman."
June 9, 2024
En el valle de Salinas, California, al pie de las colinas, una mujer ocupa su tiempo cultivando crisantemos mientras su marido se dedica a las "cosas importantes" de la granja, como criar y vender ganado.
Un hojalatero, de paso en su carromato, le da a la mujer, Elisa Allen, la excusa para hablar de su pasión por sus plantas. Pero también le da la oportunidad para que, por un instante, mire su vida más allá del blanco y del amarillo de las flores.
Elisa deja reposar la efimeridad de sus sueños entre los pétalos que acaricia a diario.
Sueña.
En un mundo de hombres.
Aunque no tenga permiso.
Me conmovió la sutileza de este relato: unas pocas páginas, unas pocas horas en la vida de una mujer, unas pocas sensaciones... que recordaré para siempre
Un hojalatero, de paso en su carromato, le da a la mujer, Elisa Allen, la excusa para hablar de su pasión por sus plantas. Pero también le da la oportunidad para que, por un instante, mire su vida más allá del blanco y del amarillo de las flores.
Elisa deja reposar la efimeridad de sus sueños entre los pétalos que acaricia a diario.
Sueña.
En un mundo de hombres.
Aunque no tenga permiso.
Me conmovió la sutileza de este relato: unas pocas páginas, unas pocas horas en la vida de una mujer, unas pocas sensaciones... que recordaré para siempre
January 22, 2025
A beautiful and strong woman, crushed under the circumstances
“Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck portrays a day in the life of Elisa Allen—the protagonist in the story. She lives in Salina’s Valley, California on a ranch with her husband—Henry. They talk in the story twice, in the beginning and in the end. In the beginning, Henry meets with couple people from the meat company and sell them some of his cattle, but does not invite Elisa to be part of the conversation. He comes to the house and tell her the good news, leaning over the fence that protects her garden and her chrysanthemums, which she loves and grows taller that anybody else in the area. He suggests to celebrate the deal with dinner at the hotel in town. They speak pleasantly, but without affection and he calls her flowers “crop”, and since she has talent with plants, he wishes she grows big apples in the orchard instead. Later, a travelling salesman stops by the house and offers to repair the dents of the pots and to sharpen scissors. She rejects his services multiple times, but he did not leave looking for a topic to talk and ultimately to make a sale. He compliments the flowers and lied that he knows a woman who asked him to bring her some Chrysanthemums from his travels. Elisa blossoms from the compliment and brings new flowerpot to transplant the cuttings, indulging into deliberate description and instructions about the flowers. The salesman reminds her that he won’t have dinner, so she digs two pots from her shed for him to fix and pay him fifty cents. Then, she admits she can do his job, and that she desires to travel the world too. He shuts her off that this is not a life for a woman. However, the fact that her flowers are leaving the valley as part of her, makes her extremely happy till she sees them discarded on the road later on the way to the dinner. Then, she cries “like an old woman” realizing that she will be stuck forever in the valley, in her childless marriage, and in her unhappy life. Very deep story, very emotional, and very symbolic too. Excellent read!
July 26, 2024
Este cuento es una sutil, delicada pero a su vez directa crítica a una sociedad que no tiene lugar para las mujeres inteligentes. Elisa es inteligente, enérgica, atractiva y ambiciosa, pero todos estos atributos se desperdician. Cuántas mujeres no hemos sido, alguna vez en muesta vida una Eliza. Cuántas hemos podido sentir en algún momento que no se nos ha valorado, que no han reconocido nuestro esfuerzo. Hay muchísimas mujeres en el . mundo que se han resignado como Eliza, creyendo que es en vano intentarlo nuevamente, pues saben que su vida no va a cambiar. Es un relato corto llena de simbolismo para ilustrarnos la realidad de la mujer americana en los años 30, pero que sigue siéndola para muchas en la actualidad. No se pierdan esta edición, las ilustraciones realizadas por Carmen Bueno, son bellísimas.
October 25, 2018
Geçenlerde boșluktan Pucca okuduğum için haklı olarak gülmüştünüz, 300 veyahut 500 sayfa; söz gelimi beğendim ya da nefret ettim hiç fark etmiyor çünkü popüler kültür aracı ve unutulmaya mahkum. Bu tarz kitapların size verebileceği hiçbir şey yok bütünüyle anlamsız, bomboş.
Oysa okuduğunuz Steinbeck romanı hoșunuza gitmemiș bile olsa genel kültür olarak yanınıza kar kalıyor. Belki ucundan kıyısından bir his yakalıyor, iki fikir sahibi olmuş oluyorsunuz. Herkese ve her yaşa hitap ediyor.
Bu böyle.
Yani.
Bence.
Oysa okuduğunuz Steinbeck romanı hoșunuza gitmemiș bile olsa genel kültür olarak yanınıza kar kalıyor. Belki ucundan kıyısından bir his yakalıyor, iki fikir sahibi olmuş oluyorsunuz. Herkese ve her yaşa hitap ediyor.
Bu böyle.
Yani.
Bence.
March 20, 2016
Otra pequeña joyita de este autor que en apenas 50 páginas es capaz de hacer un retrato de mujer "granjera" de principios del siglo XX en un entorno geográfico muy duro y con unas condiciones personales también muy sacrificadas. Estupendo.
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