In “The Chrysanthemums,” Elisa and her husband Henry are separated into two different spheres of life. Elisa lives a more private life, with being the wife, while her husband is more involved in the public sector of society. Some may argue that gender causes this separation of the two spheres; however, I argue that the separation between the public and private spheres in Steinbeck’s story is limiting because of society. Throughout “The Chrysanthemums,” there are multiple worlds: public and private. These two worlds cannot merge and come together as one because society is limiting the amount of strength women can show or have.

To begin the story, Steinbeck introduces the setting, which happens to be an enclosure that Elisa is in. She lives in a rural area that is surrounded by her husband’s farmland, and inside of that farmland lies her garden that is fenced in. Tebbetts states, “ “… the Salinas Valley, being ‘closed off’ by the fog like a ‘closed pot’ with a tight lid (9)… this suggested confinement as it narrows its focus onto Elisa and the work she is doing ‘in her flower garden’ inside a ‘wire fence’” ” (56). Elisa is confined to a small space of a flower garden at her own home, within another enclosure of the Salinas Valley, that is barricaded with fog. With this information present at the beginning of the story, Steinbeck allows the readers to get a glimpse into how Elisa is closed off from the public sphere of life and locked into a private sphere from the get go. While Elisa is trapped inside her garden, her husband is free to roam and do as he pleases in the public sphere. Henry is allowed to do field work, and converse with others that come by, while society would look down upon Elisa if she were to do so. However, in the middle of the story, a tinkerer comes along, wanting to fix Elisa’s pots and pans. The tinkerer approaches Elisa’s wired fence and begins to speak to her. Steinbeck writes, “He had come near quietly, and he leaned over the wire fence that protected her flower garden from cattle and dogs and chickens” (Steinbeck 1). Steinbeck uses this scenario to metaphorically represent Elisa being protected from the outside world, and all of its people, which are represented by the cattle, dogs, and chickens. The separation between public and private is exemplified by the fact that Elisa has no contact with the outside world and is trapped in the flower garden, which is what protects her. This separation is caused by society and how society portrays different roles, and limits people during the time period, and how the readers view the public and private worlds. However, Renner discusses the story as, “… a strong, capable women kept from personal, social, and sexual fulfillment by the prevailing conception of a women’s role in a world dominated by men” (306). Elisa is being held back in life from a society that is run by men, and not allowed to express herself in any way possible. Society has allowed men to become the predominant figures in the public world while keeping the women trapped in the private sphere. Society is limiting women, like Elisa, and what they are able to show to the world.

Throughout the story of “The Chrysanthemums,” Elisa is a strong woman, from the way she dresses to her work ethic. She is compared to men throughout Steinbecks story, and Tebbetts article discussing “The Chrysanthemums.” Tebbetts states, “Her appearance in that garden suggests that her strength is equal to the strength of men, for her ‘man’s black hat,”… made her look as much like a powerful man as a powerful women” (59). Elisa is described as having as much strength and power as a man just because of what she is wearing. Elisa is working in her flower garden while wearing mens clothes, shoes, gloves, and hat. Elisa does that because she wants to be seen as a strong, and powerful woman, and be masculine enough to fit in, and be able to show her strength and what she is capable of doing. However, she is still hindered by society. Society will not allow her to go into the public sector of the world and show her strength that is comparable to mens. This is due to the fact that society has allowed men to control the public sphere of the world, and has retained women to their private spheres. Elisa is consolidated to her private world where she gardens her chrysanthemums inside a wire fence because of societies limitations on women for showing any type of strength or talent. Elisa’s work ethic is also very strong. She cares deeply about her flowers and only wants them to be the best in the area. Whenever Elisa gardens, she is seen as very powerful and aggressive woman. Steinbeck states, “… even her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful. The chrysanthemums stems seemed to small and easy for her energy” (1). Elisa proves that she is strong enough to complete other jobs that exist outside of her private sphere of life. She is strong and capable enough to do many things besides gardening. Society limits her and does not let her strength be shown to the public sector of the world because she is a housewife, and cannot be seen as strong in a public society.

The public and private spheres of the world restrain Elisa from showing her true strength. Elisa is not allowed to go into the public sector of the world because she is seen as weak compared to the other members of society. It is not that she is not strong, it is that she is trapped inside of this private sphere, which happens to be her garden. Tebbetts writes, “Women and artists do not need protection because they are weak by nature but, ironically, only because their confinement makes them weak. In a vicious circle, confinement produces the weakness that justifies confinement” (59). Elisa’s flower garden where she tends to her chrysanthemums is what is causing her to be weak. Since she is confined to a private world, she becomes weaker, and it is what is constantly reminding her that she is weak. Elisa cannot leave the flower garden or her house to see the outside public world which represents strength. Although Elisa has strength comparable to that of a man, she is not allowed to show it because society restricts her. Society, and in particular, men, hinder Elisa from showing her strength because the men in the public world are seen as the strong members of society. Throughout the story, Steinbeck uses the tinkerer and Henry to limit Elisa from showing her true strength.

In the end, the two separate worlds shown in “The Chrysanthemums” are private and public. Elisa is a part of the private world that keeps her contained to her flower garden. On the other hand, her husband, Henry, is part of the public sphere of society. Elisa shows her strength in the story by dressing like a man and being over eager when she gardens. However, she is not able to show her strength in the public sphere of life which is limited to and run by men. In conclusion, Elisa is not allowed to show her true strength in the public world, and has to remain in her private world where she tends to her chrysanthemums.
