The short story, The Chrysanthemums, by John Steinbeck, is a fascinating tale that involves the life of a beautiful, but misunderstood woman, as she struggles with the prolonged pain of isolation . After years of captivity on a farm, Elisa struggles to feel like a free woman. As a result, Elisa becomes cautious and closed even to her husband. Despite her masculine personality, Elisa drops her sheltered exterior when an opportunity to escape presents itself. Locked within the confines of her farm, Elisa creates a sort of “intimate relationship” with her precious chrysanthemums in order to keep her sanity (French 64). Through the clever use of symbolism and the forces of human nature combined with the feminine limitations of the time, Steinbeck reinforces the idea that happiness cannot fit within the bars of a cage. Steinbeck first enriches the feeling of discouragement through the intelligent use of symbolism. . The story opens with a detailed description of the Salinas Valley. Here, Steinbeck compares the valley to a "closed pot", suggesting Elisa's inability to escape. Additionally, Steinbeck describes that even though there is sunshine nearby, the Salinas Valley does not see any. As sunlight is often associated with happiness, the implication here is that while others are happy, Elisa is not. To encourage the use of symbolic references, Steinbeck connects Elisa to the hopeful farmers of the region. Farmers believe that rain is imminent due to the southwest wind blowing across the valley. Unfortunately, the bulky fog rules out any chance of this happening. Like the false hope that torments the farmers, Elisa is burdened by the illusion that happiness could still come to her. Additionally, Elisa's garden is surrounded by a fence to pr...... middle of paper ......ed to demonstrate how contentment and confinement do not coincide. Works CitedFrench, Warren. The fiction of John Steinbeck revisited. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994. Print. Beach, Joseph Warren. American fiction, 1920-1940. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1941. Print “John Steinbeck (1902-1968). » Review of a short story. Ed. Joseph Palmisano. Flight. 77. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2005. 228-297. Online literary criticism. Gale of wind. Glendale Community College.April 15, 2012 “The Chrysanthemums of John Steinbeck.” Review of a short story. Ed. Anja Barnard and Anna Sheets-Nesbitt. Flight. 37. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. 320-363. Online literary criticism. Gale of wind. Glendale Community College. April 16 2012