"The Chrysanthemums"

Critical Sources:

 Hayashi, Tetsumaro, ed. A Study Guide to Steinbeck's The Long Valley. Ann Arbor, MI: Pierian, 1976.

 Hughes, R. S. Beyond the Red Pony: A Reader’s Companion to Steinbeck’s Complete Short Stories. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1987.

 Miller, William V. "Sexual and Spiritual Ambiguity in 'The Chrysanthemums." Hayashi 1-10.

 Timmerman, John H. The Dramatic Landscape of Steinbeck’s Short Stories. Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 1990.

• Is Henry an inadequate husband?
• What is the nature of the conflict within Elisa?
• Is this story, as some have claimed, a sexual story, or is Elisa's arousal secondary?
• Hughes says "Steinbeck does not peg the dominant symbol to any single idea or thing" (60). Many readers have suggested that the cuttings represent children for Elisa. What other correlations can you find for them?