For many women, the societal standards of the late thirties prohibited them from openly expressing their sexuality. In John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” Elisa Allen struggles to find how she fits into this society. She is “closed off… from the sky and from the rest of the world” in a “pot” (Steinbeck 1). Being closed off from society leaves Elisa with the task of finding her own way of living out her marriage and discovering what expectations her husband has of her. Throughout this story manly objects are constantly brought to light as Elisa struggles to meet her own ideas of marriage with expectations set by society. The adjectives “black” and “sharp”, along with the symbol of water, are used throughout the story to represent a lust that Elisa Allen is hiding from her husband and, at the end, herself which, ultimately, proves to one Elisa’s indifference and numbness to what society expects versus what she longs for. 

Though Elisa knows that she must hide her sexual side, one finds the lust that she has symbolized in the black manly objects described throughout the story. Elisa works in her garden with a “man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes”- behind her stands “the neat white farm house” that her husband and she reside in (1). Elisa melds to the standards of society, living in a clean house, providing food for her husband, she even plants a stereotypical garden with flowers; however, if one is to look deeper into this act one finds that Elisa wants to be covered by man. She wears gloves but quickly takes them off and her “fingers destroyed” the dark soil of the ground, however, she puts the gloves back on as her husband walks up to her, hiding this side of herself from him (1). It is not that she is ashamed of her sexual being but does not know how to bring it up to her husband. When her husband points out that she could “raise some apples that big” Elisa is motivated and knows that she could. Apples represent sin that comes from the black of the soil: a sin that Elisa is willing to commit to fulfill her expectations of their marriage. Down the road comes a stranger with a “graying” beard; at first what this stranger brings does not appear black or white. Elisa is stuck in a state of confusion and indifference to her sexuality until she realizes that she wants badly to go against societal standards noticing the strangers black “suit,” “eyes” and that every “crack was a black line” to him on the fence where he rests (3). She knows the risks of turning over to the dark side, yet one finds her “breast swelled passionately” towards the man (5). She longs for what happens “when the night is dark” and is no longer scared to share this secret with the stranger (5). However, after this lapse in her civility she quickly scrubs herself clean of all the dark soil on her body. Although, she knows what she has done is wrong, she still places her husbands dark suit upon the bed hoping for what comes after her lovely date. After the chaos of the day, Elisa looks toward the river road and finds a “grey afternoon” sky (6). Though Elisa lusts for something more within her marriage she knows what a proper wife should do but is stuck in a state of grey. When Elisa rips off her hat one finds her “dark pretty hair;” no matter how much Elisa tries to tear away the manly objects, she will always have a piece of darkness with her. She tries to cover her hair with a new hat but struggles having to “[pull] it here and [press] it there,” eventually relenting she shows her indifference to expectations. 

Instantly ones attention is drawn towards Elisa’s obsession with sharp objects. Her eye sharpens at the thought of  “stick[ing] anything in the ground and mak[ing] it grow” like any farmer or man in society (2). Sparking this interest is the fact that with such a task Elisa becomes of equal status with her husband both in society and their personal relationship. Fascinated by the “little sharp points beneath each letter” on the side of the strangers wagon, Elisa tries not to succumb to her interests in the man and the outside world (2). When the stranger asks Elisa if she needs any pots mended or knifes sharpened she “harden[s] with resistance” (3). Elisa, though metaphorically stuck in a pot separated from the world in her valley, resists temptation and tells the stranger that she has nothing to fix. She tries not to loose the morals that are expected from essentially everyone. She finds indifference to these morals and describes in detail her longed for sex scene with her husband to the stranger, describing it as “sharp and—lovely:” “every pointed star get[ting] driven into [her] body” (5). The sharpness of such a moment creates adrenaline within Elisa; however, she realizes that she has gone too far into her lust with the stranger and needs wine at dinner to numb herself, both from her sad reality and her thoughts. Ultimately, Elisa’s fascination with sharp objects is a metaphor of her desire to cut away from societal standards to become her own individual and to distance herself from such ideals. 

Water brings life to all living things, including Elisa and her chrysanthemums. The Salinas Valley is filled with fog and though Elisa is “hopeful of a good rain,” she knows that “fog and rain [do] not go together” (1). Elisa is essentially stuck in a marriage that is foggy with no real meaning, but she knows what she wants: to create new life. She still holds out hope for something she knows she has no say over in such a society. Surrounded by a river with a “bank of willows and cotton-woods” Elisa is constantly reminded of the stream she would like to travel down that is visible yet unattainable (2). The stranger comes and opens a world of “rain or shine” in Elisa’s eyes and she realizes that the world is not always in a fog (5). Elisa takes this information and decides that she will take action regardless of her place in the marriage. She bathes in the tub and hears her husband “splashing” in the water and can feel a page being turned in their relationship (6). Being freshly bathed, her husband comments that Elisa looks “strong” and “happy” bringing hope to Elisa that her husband feels the same way about the society and is also indifferent to what others may think (6). The hope of bringing new life is broken at the sight of her chrysanthemums on the side of the road and Elisa is found “crying weakly” on the way out to dinner (7). She knows that if her chrysanthemums cannot bloom she cannot expect to give life to her relationship. Elisa does not succumb to her lust but also decides that she cannot fight society- she just is. Her stream of hope leaves through the tears she sheds. Water brings life; yet, Elisa will never have this life. Elisa only has her chrysanthemum, unless her husband decides, one day, to water her with life. 

Struggling with her place in society for so long, Elisa ultimately gives up and just lets the world define her. It is not that she does not know the difference between what she wants and what society expects; she simply decides to numb herself to the world. One is not satisfied with the ending because one is left with nothing, for in a moment “the thing was done” (7). 