I've learned that the critics are pretty much on the same page as far as the symbolism in "The Chrysanthemums." I also stopped and thought about the time period that the story was set in and changed my opinion a little bit about how the story represented the role of women. I still don't like the way that Elisa was manipulated by the tinker, but I can now see that, for the time period, she had a fairly progressive attitude. I can accept that that time period was different and I'm learning to adjust my judgments based on the setting of a story.
I think despite the time period Elisa was a strong women to accept the lack of attention and love from the husband. She never gave up and I agree I didn't like the manipulation of the tinker. Elisa ended up falling into a spiraling sea of false idealisms with a sad conclusion. I pity her and what women like her have to go through. I myself, have only "settled" with a women and I can now see perhaps how I was not there emotionally and hope I didn't make her feel this way.
ReplyDeleteI think the Chrysanthemums was a very feeling-evoking story. It was sad but it was good to read because it makes you think of how society used to be. I think that what the tinker did is wrong and I felt really bad for Elisa, and I have known people that something similar has happened to.
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