symbolism in the crysanthemums
A good writer has many tools at hand that help them develop good story lines. There are literary techniques such as voice, point of view, character, theme, and symbolism. One very interesting technique is that of symbolism. With symbolism the author is able to write a story in which many of the actions around the main character seem to enhance the way the character develops. The use of symbolism to develop the characters is easy to see in the short story "the chrysanthemums" by John Steinback. In this story Steinback writes of a woman who lives on a farm; but the woman feels trapped, and wishes that she could free herself. The author uses both the time of year and the location to develop a setting that compliments the feelings of the main character. The story starts off saying, "The high Gray-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from the rest of the world."(Steinback 267)from the first sentence the author is developing a setting that compliments the character. At this point in time of the story nothing is known about the Elisa Allen, but this quote about how the Salinas valley is closed off from the world is a symbol of the struggle that Elisa is soon to face. The second sentence of th
Elisa can not say much about her current situation, she has to calmly weight for something to happen. However, after she grows up at the end of the story she expresses her interest to go with him. A light wind blew up from the southwest so that the farmers were mildly hopeful of a good rain before long; but fog and rain do not go together. At the time she says nothing, because it would be absurd for her to go with him. Throughout the story Steinback drops many symbols that pertain to Elisa's character. ]"(Steinback 273) After this bath of hers she became more beautiful to her husband. The quiet waiting symbolizes how Elisa is silently waiting for something to happen. However, with all the symbols there is a story about a woman who is struggling with herself to break free from the traditional woman's role, and in the end learns that she has grown up to become a woman. After her bath she realized how strong she was by saying, " [I am strong,] she boasted. "(Steinback 273) she was scrubbing away the skin that bound her into her conventional role. All these symbols work together to show Elisa Allen's character. The symbol of living on a farm helps Steinback show Elisa's isolation. Without them this story would have had a simple plot line where a woman grows some flowers, and then goes out with her husband.
Common topics in this essay:
Elisa Smith's,
Elisa Allen's,
Elisa Allen,
,
John Steinback,
Salinas Valley,
Steinback Elisa's,
character story,
elisa allen's character,
elisa allen's,
setting compliments,
story elisa,
salinas valley,
story steinback,
273 bath,
quiet waiting,
closed pot,
allen's character,
|
Acceptance Essays
