The Chrysanthemums Summary
John Steinbeck

Biography EssayThrough a career which spanned four decades, John Steinbeck was a novelist of people. His best books are about ordinary men and women, simple souls who do battle against dehumanizing so... Read more

"I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature." With this declaration, John Steinbeck accepted the Nobel Prize... Read more

Throughout a career which spanned four decades, John Steinbeck was a novelist of people. His best books are about ordinary men and women, simple souls who do battle against dehumanizing social forces ... Read more

John Steinbeck may not be known for his work as a nature writer, at least in the sense of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, or Annie Dillard, but much of his work develops character... Read more

In the following excerpt from an essay originally published in 1941, Beach compares “The Chrysanthemums” to the work of Anton Chekhov, calling the story's protagonist Elisa Allen ... Read more

In the essay that follows, Hughes identifies elements responsible for the critical success of “The Chrysanthemums,” specifically plot, characterization, symbolism, and overall objectivit... Read more

In the essay below, Shillinglaw asserts that “The Chrysanthemums” was heavily influenced by the Pygmalion myth as utilized by Ovid and George Bernard Shaw. For John Steinbeck “lif... Read more

In the following excerpt, Kempton asserts that Steinbeck's “The Chrysanthemums” lacks objectivity. No reader of “The Killers” will easily forget its opening sentence... Read more

In the following essay, McMahan identifies unfulfilled sexual desire as the source of Elisa Allen's frustration in “The Chrysanthemums.” Virtually every critic who has considered ... Read more

In the following essay, Simmonds argues that Elisa Allen, contrary to popular opinion, is not a sympathetic figure. In recent years what has almost amounted to a small critical industry has grown up a... Read more

In the following essay, Owens correlates Elisa Allen's desire for rain with her need for personal fulfillment. Of the first story in The Long Valley, “The Chrysanthemums,” Steinbe... Read more

Character Analysis of Elisa Allen "The Chrysanthemums," written by John Steinbeck, captures one day in the life of a woman who yearns for a more fulfilling life. Elisa is first portrayed as a woman... Read more