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Tony Thomas Symbolism Paper 5 May 2002 Symbolism in "The Chrysanthemums" In his story "The Chrysanthemums", written in 1938, Steinbeck introduces us with a woman, named Elisa, who is trying to obtain authority and control in a man's world. Elisa Allen struggles to characterize her position as a woman in a very close society. Her environment portrays the social depression, while the garden shows her power and masculine. Elisa has trouble extending this power outside the fence that …

…Elisa's tears will not rid the valley of the fog, for as author tells us in the beginning, "fog and rain do not go together"(1-5). Elisa will probably dominate her surrounding inside the fence, but she will never achieve the power outside of it, in a man's world. Steinbeck's use of simple symbols and his concern for common human values, stir the reader's thoughts and emotions, and leave them with an awareness of life.