What is the purpose of including dogs in The Chrysanthemums?

The involvement between the tinker’s dog and Elisa’s dogs is symbolic to their relationship. In the beginning, the dogs did not get along. When the tinker’s dog ran ahead of the wagon, “instantly the two ranch shepherds flew out at him” (Steinbeck 360).

What does the chrysanthemum story symbolize?

Thus, the chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa’s role as a woman. First they symbolize her children; later they represent her femininity and sexuality. Elisa feels frustrated with her life because children and romance are missing in her marriage with Henry.

What is the lesson of The Chrysanthemums?

Lesson Summary



‘The Chrysanthemums’ tells the story of Elisa Allen as she struggles for feminine fulfillment in the 1930s. Through Steinbeck’s depictions of Elisa’s mannishness, winter, and the chrysanthemums, we come to see them as themes and symbols of sexual repression and wasted womanhood.

What does the fence symbolize in The Chrysanthemums?

In “The Chrysanthemums,” the wire fence symbolizes Elisa’s separation from the world. The fence serves both to protect and imprison her.

What is the symbolism of the lady with the dog?

As previously noted, Anna has a white dog, and the it symbolizes her purity and innocence. White is traditionally symbolic of innocence and purity. Chekhov uses the white dog in connection with Anna to show that she is innocent before she begins the affair.

What does the dog represent in the story?

Perhaps the two most important and prominent qualities which dogs have symbolised in literature and myth down the ages are vigilance and loyalty.

What does Elisa see at the end of The Chrysanthemums?

Answers 1. They drive to town together, and Elisa notices a dark speck on the road in the distance. She realizes it’s the chrysanthemum sprouts that the tinker has dumped by the side of the road, keeping the pot.

Why does Elisa cry like an old woman in The Chrysanthemums?

Answer and Explanation: Elisa cries silently on the road into town with her husband because she is faced with the constrictions of her role as a woman and the circumstances of her life.

Why is Elisa attracted to the Tinker?

She is attracted to the tinker because, as Stanley Renner points out, he represents a world of adventure and freedom that only men enjoy (306). She allows her emotions to control her and lets go of her masculine side, freeing her central feminine sexuality, according to Sweet (212).

What did the mother dog tell?

The mother dog told the pups, do not go near the well or play around it. One of the pups wondered why they shouldn’t go to the well and decided to explore it.

What is the purpose of the first few paragraphs of Odour of chrysanthemums?

In D. H. Lawrence’s “Odor of Chrysanthemums,” the opening paragraphs establish a tone for the story of bleakness and despair. Through the narrator we learn that the story takes place at Brinsley Colliery, the industrial base of an English coal-mining town.

What does Elise see at the end of The Chrysanthemums that makes her sad?

Answers 1. They drive to town together, and Elisa notices a dark speck on the road in the distance. She realizes it’s the chrysanthemum sprouts that the tinker has dumped by the side of the road, keeping the pot.