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1AWoman’sFrustrationintheGender-DividedWorld--AnAnalysisofSteinbeck’s“TheChrysanthemums”Inhis1933lettertoafriend,JohnSteinbecktalksabouthisnewlycomposedshortstory“TheChrysanthemums”:“Itisentirelydifferentandisdesignedtostrikewithoutthereader’sknowledge”(qtd.inSegal214).Ithasindeedachievedtheeffect:eversinceitspublication,criticsandreaders,whounanimously“feelthatsomethingprofoundhashappenedtohim”(qtd.inSegal214),tryineachwaytofigureoutunderandbetweenthelinesthethemeofthestory.Whilegenerallyinterpretingthetaleasoneaboutawoman’sfrustration,criticsputforwarddifferentreasonstoexplainthe“what”andthe“how.SomecriticsrelatetheprotagonistElisaAllen’sdiscontentandlonelinesstothefactthatshehasnochildrenandthereforeisthwartedinhermotherhood;andothers,perceivingthatElisaandherhusbandHenry’srelationlacksdeepunderstandingandpassion,suggestthatsex-starvationisthecauseofhersenseofrepression;stillotherstreatthestoryasataleofaboredmiddle-agehousewife,believingthatElisa’sdiscontentiscausedbyhervaguelongingforillusive“romance”(Segal214).Undoubtedlytheseanalyseshelp,invariousdegrees,shedlightontheunderstandingofthetale.However,theyhaven’texhaustedthecomplexityofthethemeyet.Ifweapproachthestorybyaclosereading,takingadequatenoticeoftheimagesandsymbolswhichSteinbeckhascarefullywovenintothestory,wemayfindthat“TheChrysanthemums”isalsoa“profound”taleof“gender”,astoryofthedoomedfrustrationofafemalewho,inherattemptatself-fulfillment,unwittinglyandyetinevitably“trespassesupon”theworldbrandedasbelongingtomalegender.Asweknow,“gender”asasocialconstruction,isthewaywearesociallydefined.AsScottCarpenterpointsout:“[o]urlivesaresteepedindistinctionsbasedongender,andthesedistinctionshaveareal,demonstrableimpactonthewaypeopleliveandinteract”(89).Asawoman,Elisa’sgenderdecidestherolesheshouldplay,theworksheisallowedtodo,andtheverystyleoflifeshehasbuttoaccept.Inthebinaryoppositionsofgenderthereexisttwoandonlytwopossibilities:maleandfemale,or“LadiesandGents”.“Transgressionsarenottolerated,”asCarpentermaintains,forbinaryoppositions“arerarelyeven-handed,onetermofthepairalmostalwaysenjoyingtheprivilegedstatusovertheother”(95).Therefore,inordertomaintainmaledominanceandprivilegeoverfemale,thispropositionis“rigorouslymaintained--orevenpoliced”(Carpenter90).AssoonasElisatriestobreakthroughtheconfinementofhergender,sheinevitablybruisesherself.Theopeningimagerysetsthetoneforthewholestory.ItnotonlydepictstheprotagonistElisaAllen’srepressivelife,butalsoforeshadowsherinevitabledisillusionment.TheSalinasValleyisdescribedas“closedoff”bythe“high2grey-flannelfogofwinter”;thefog“satlikealidonthemountainsandmadeofthegreatvalleyaclosedpot”(Steinbeck169).Thereisaprevailingsenseofrepressionandconfinement.Yettherepressivesenseismixedsomehowwithglimmeringhope.Wearetoldthatthelandfloorofthevalleyisploweddeeplytoreceivetheexpectedrains.“Itwasatimeofquietandofwaiting…thelightwindblewup…sothatthefarmerswerehopefulofagoodrain”(169).Thelandisexpectingthenourishingrains;theprotagonistisinavagueyearningofarelieffromthebarrenandconfinedlife.Butthepromiseofrainisanirony:“fogandraindonotgotogether”(169).Similarly,thehopeofbreakingthroughthe“closedpot”forElisaisanillusion.WhenElisaAllenfirstappearsinthestory,sheisworkinginherflowergardenwithherchrysanthemums,whileacrosstheyard,herhusbandHenryistalkingbusinesswithtwobusinessmenbythetractorshed.Distinctlytwoworldsinbinaryoppositionsofgenderarepresentedtous:oneisthefemaleworldofgardeningandhousekeeping,theotheristhemaleworldofbusiness,machineryandfarming.However,theproblemofthisdistinctionisimmediatelyshownintheimagesofElisa’shouseandherwayofgardening.Thelittlehouseis“hard-swept”,thewindowsare“hard-polished”andeventhemud-matonthefrontstepsis“clean”(italicsadded).Sheisdoingmorethangood.Obviously,housekeepingisfarfrombeingasufficientchallengeforsuchanenergeticandstrongwoman.Consequently,shepoursherenergyontothegardening.Wearingaheavy“gardeningcostume”,“aman’sblackhat”,and“clodhoppershoes”,sheworksinawayamantreatshisoccupation;“evenherworkwiththescissorswasover-eager,over-powerful.Thechrysanthemumstemsseemedtoosmallandeasyforherenergy”(169).Elisa’sboundedenergyandpotentialfindsitsonlyoutletingrowingchrysanthemums.ButHenry’sremarksonherflowersrevealinglyindicatethesignificance,orratherinsignificanceofhergardening:“You’vegotastrongnewcropcoming”(170).It’sironicalpraise,withtheimplicationthatthechrysanthemumsareNOTcropsandthereforearenotofanyvalueinapragmaticsense.IfweregardchrysanthemumsasasymbolrelatedtoElisa’spotential,thenthispotentialisneitherrecognizednorvalued.Thetinkercomes,bringingdoubleillusionsfor“rains-expecting”Elisa.First,heenchantsElisawithanauraofafreelifewhichElisahasneverhadatasteofexceptinherimagination.Intermofphysicalappearance,thesloppystubble-beardtinkerisbynomeansattractive.Infact,stoppinginfrontofElisa’shouse,thisstrangesloppyteamofman,horse,burro,andmongreldogstrikinglycontrastwithElisa’sneatandcleanhouseandwire-fencedgarden.However,thetinker’snomadicandfreewayoflifeinthewagon“soundslikeanicekindofawaytolive”toElisa,aw