The Chrysanthemums | Topics for Further Study

Many critics have found it useful to compare ‘‘The Chrysanthemums’’ with another Steinbeck short story from the same collection, ''The White Quail.’’ Read both stories. Do you agree, as some have suggested, that Elisa Allen and Mary Teller are similar characters in different situations? Or do you agree with other critics, who believe the two women are opposites?

Steinbeck was interested in plants and knew quite a lot about propagating them. Learn what you can about pollination, and about producing new plants by transplanting cuttings, as Elisa Allen does. What might...

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