"The Chrysanthemums"

In the story "the Chrysanthemums" the author John Steinbeck, uses symbolism from various objects to express the joy,pride, and frustration of the main character. Elisa is the main character is the story. She is strong and hardworking woman that sent most of her time cutting the stalks of chrysanthemums in her garden. Her husband Henry offered to take her out of town for a dinner to celebrate the sale of their thirty steers. The following are some of the symbols from the story: flowers(Chrysanthemums), garden, scissors, and fence. The Chrysanthemums or flowers symbolize passion and love of the main character. The garden represent Elisa abilities to care of herself. She is more productive in the garden. "You've got a gift with things, Henry observed. Some of those yellow chrysanthemums you had this year were ten inches across. I wish you'd work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big" (pg. 633). Similarly, the scissors symbolize strength and power. The fence is the border between the main character's world and the surrounding world.