John Ernst Steinbeck (1902-1968), American author and winner of the Nobel Prize in 1962, was a leading exponent of the proletarian novel and a prominent spokesman for the victims of the Great Depression. John Steinbeck was born on Feb. 27, 1902, in Salin...

Through 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 or who struggle against their own inhumane tendencies and...

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 or who struggle against their own inhumane tendencies...

Thousands of well-wishers waving Japanese flags gathered Tuesday at the Imperial Palace for a series of rare appearances by Emperor Akihito and the royal family marking the new year.Crown Princess Masako, who is recovering from a stress-induced illness, accompanied other members of the royal family...

Crown Princess Masako is not likely to be joining her husband, the heir to Japan's ancient throne, on any trips abroad in the near future.Crown Prince Naruhito, speaking to reporters Friday ahead of a trip to Mongolia, said Masako is still recovering from a stress-induced...

A cousin of Japan's Emperor Akihito drew laughs when he discussed his own alcoholism in a speech on welfare, and said he has gained many fans at a treatment center since he revealed his problem, organizers said Sunday.Prince Tomohito, fifth in line for the Chrysanthemum...

In the following essay, Renner interprets “The Chrysanthemums” as “informed far less by feminist sympathies than by traditional ‘masculist’ complaints.”

Below, Ditsky praises the “Lawrentian values” and interpersonal drama that Steinbeck achieves in “The Chrysanthemums.”

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

To understand John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums," we must first know the "real" Elisa Allen. At first Elisa is a woman whose hopes for a more fulfilling life are raised by a stranger she meets. After the stranger has finished using Elisa and crushing her hopes, we see her for who she is -- a bitter woman who lives a forever unfulfilled life of routine, boredom, and hopelessless.

In John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums," the symbolism associated with the fence, the garden, and the chrysanthemums help to illustrate the story by striking an emotional chord with the audience.