A Feminist Approach to "The Chrysanthemums"
             A primary concern of feminist reformers has been a woman's right to self- actualization. Self- actualization is something that women have a hard time facing today. Self- actualization is making your personality real to yourself. Some men today feel like a woman's place is in the house. When women get married some men feel as if women can not think for themselves. When men say that they are the head of the household they take it literally and feel as if women have no right to say what they want and speak their minds. Women have a hard time in the workplace also and they go through certain depression issues which in the end make them a better person. The road to self-actualization for women is a hard one and a very frequently traveled one. The symbols present in "The Chrysanthemums" illustrate some of the barriers to self- actualization that women have traditionally faced.
             This story uses many objects of symbolism to get the point across. The first one used is the wire fence to separate the garden from animals. You will get this idea from the sentence in the story which says "He had come near her quietly, and he leaned over the wire fence that protected her garden from cattle and dogs and chickens." As you read across this sentence you realize that this fence may not only separate her garden from animals but may take her into a world of her own. This fence could mean that it separates her from the outside world.
             The second object of symbolism is the chrysanthemums. These plants mean so much to Elisa. You can read this from the fact that she knows so much about these plants. During her conversation with the man about his customer who always wanted to plant them, Elisa states, "She couldn't have known much about chrysanthemums. You can raise them from seed, but it's much easier to root the little sprouts you see there.", re...