Throughout history women have often been portrayed as the subordinates of men or the weaker sex. As a result of these assumptions held by society, women have been working hard to disassociate themselves from these stereotypes and become more independent with their lives. Many famous writers have addressed this issue in their novels or short stories. John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" describes Elisa Allen's frustration with her marriage. Elisa feels a sense of isolation from the world and desires to express herself as a woman, and to live a fuller more passionate life. .
The Chrysanthemums themselves and other symbols express to the reader much about Elisa's struggle to find her own identity. She does not seem to be in touch with her emotions and is unable to understand the source of her dissatisfaction. Her initial appearance in the story is very manly yet still allows a feminine side to be noticed: "Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's black hat pulled down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress completely covered- (260). These images represent her repression of her own femininity. Despite hiding behind these clothes she was still doing what seemed to be the "female" job of tending a flower garden. Her chrysanthemums meant everything to her. They were almost like her children and she took care of them as if she were a mother. We see this when she talks about them so passionately with the man she met. This scene makes it clear to the reader that she wants more from life than just being a gardener, and that she craves attention. .
Also, the setting plays a major role in describing the feelings of Elisa. The setting reinforces Elisa's feelings of isolation from the world. This story takes place in the beautiful valley of Salinas, California, and is suppose to be a beautiful scene. On the other hand, the setting takes on a role of a prison in which one would feel trapped as expressed in this quote, "The high gray flannel fog of winter closed off the Salina's valley from the sky and from the rest of the world.