The Chrysantemums

2 Pages 534 Words

How Communication Can Affect A Marriage
In the story “The Chrysantemums”, the author John Steinbeck presents a marriage with a serious problems of communication. To presents these problems he used the flower as a symbol ( the chrysanthemums) to represent the wife “Elisa Allen”.
At the beginning of the story the husband, who is always working on the farm, showed how he is with his wife. The author presents us this situation by letting us know how the husband feels about the chrysanthemums: “I wish you’d work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big”. With this, the husband showed the little apreciation he has for the his wife. “Elisa Allen”, who does not feel appreciated by her husband devotes all her energy in taking care of her chrysanthemums: “Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water. Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardering costume, a man´s black hat pulled low down over her eyes...The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy”. The problem of communication was more because of “Elisa”. When she talks to her husband, she never said what she really wanted to say. For example: when she was asking him about the fighting show, she really wanted to go but her husband told her that he did not think that she would like that type of shows so she just agreed with him: “What´s the matter, Elisa? Do you want to go? I don´t think you´d like it, but I´ll take you if you really want to go...No.I don´t want to go. I´m sure I don´t.”
In my opinion, “Elisa” only wants some attention. That is why, when the mysterious man appeares, she showed interest in him. She was interested in him because he showed interest in her chrysanthemums: “ Kind of a long-stemmed flower? Looks like a quick puff of colored smoke?...I like the smell myself”. Unfortunately, the mysterious man was not sincere with “Elisa”. He just wanted “Elisa” to give ...