Symbolism in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck Essay -- Papers Chry

Symbolism in The Chrysanthemums by John SteinbeckAt first glance John Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums seems to be a story of a woman whose niche is in the tend. Upon deeper inspection, the story reveals strong symbolisms of children, vulnerability, and connection--being the most important, of the main character. Elisa Allen is the main character who is at her strongest and most proud in the garden and weakened when she becomes vulnerable and loses her connection to the outer world. Elisa shows a new aura of confidence when she makes this connection to a peddler, who also is the cause of her realization of creation and her crying.The chrysanthemums symbolize Elisas children. She tends her garden and handles the chrysanthemums with love and care, just as she would handle her own children. Elisa is protective of her flowers and places a fence around them she makes sure that no aphids, no sowbugs or snails or cutworms are there. Her terrier fingers destroyed such pests before they could get started (221). These pests represent something that ...