Stronger Than Appears
In John Steinbeck’s short story, ‘The Chrysanthemums’, Elisa Allen is one the main protagonists. The story follows Elisa Allen through a seemingly typical day, focusing on an encounter with a traveling peddler. The reader discovers more about her through her actions and dialogue as the story continues. Elisa Allen’s strong will, feministic viewpoints, and nurturing persona are showcased in Steinbeck’s ‘The Chrysanthemum’.
Allens strong will is highlighted when she is tempted to I have an intimate affair with the peddler but after a short moment of temptation, she realizes what she's doing and quickly regained her composure. Steinbeck writes, “ Her hesitant fingers almost touched the cloth. Then her hand dropped to the ground” (Steinbeck, 7). It is shown the disappointment she has within herself after she …show more content…
Allen could be seen as a modern-day feminist. Strives for equal rights for men and women and she challenges the stereotypical male roles. An example of this is, “It must be nice," she said. "It must be very nice. I wish women could do such things." "It ain't the right kind of a life for a woman.” Her upper lip raised a little, showing her teeth. "How do you know? How can you tell?" she said” (Steinbeck, 8). The conversation above between Elisa Allen and the peddler shows Allen's agitation with the societal differences between men and women. She is shown challenging the ideas of the peddler and questioning him on his view points. Even so, she is later seen surrendering to the feminist stereotypes. Author Victoria Price writes, “ … and she reasserts her femininity by again declining the offer to go to the fights, settling instead for the romantic touch, in her mind, of having wine with dinner” (Price). This shows that even as determined and hard as she tries, she still falls accustomed to the standards set upon her by