Assignment #4--Criticism

Gender criticism, sometimes called feminist critics examines how sexual identity influences the creation and reception literary works. The story of “The Chrysanthemums” is best applied by the gender criticism. John Steinbeck, the author of “The chrysanthemums,” maintains an appealing sympathy for the poor and downtrodden, the lonely and dispossessed throughout his written. In order words, the lonely and dispossessed have been appeared by the female character he wrote.

In the story of “The Chrysanthemums,” main character Elisa Allen was eager and mature and handsome; even her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful. These things seemed not too much showed by a female when the culture has been so completely dominated by men that literature is full of unexamined “male-produced” assumptions. Woman was always considered inside a household while man was outside and controlled the household that we can see from the life style of Lisa Allen and her husband. In addition, when the traveling man lied about a lady needed some nice chrysanthemums for her garden, Lisa’s eyes grew alert and eager. At that time, Lisa Allen found that she could have some kinds of value in her life and that value would make her feel that she was winning recognition from other or from the society. John Steinbeck consciously tried to show that woman’s abilities could earn more value from the whole society. He also tries to correct the imbalance status between man and woman. However, the ending of the story is Lisa Allen realized she was being lied by the travel man; also she relaxed limply in the seat and was crying weakly-like an old woman. Lisa Allen had lost all her confidence due to the reality that she was nothing for traveling man except her money. She felt that she just a doll controlled by that traveling man.

Overall, the story implied that the social force of imbalance between man and woman did not change. Woman still was less respect and status than man during the time of such a male dominated world.