Editor's Choice
What literary devices does John Steinbeck use in "The Chrysanthemums"?
Quick answer:
John Steinbeck uses vivid imagery, metaphors, similes, auditory imagery, and foreshadowing in "The Chrysanthemums." Examples include the "grey-flannel fog" and "black earth shining like metal." Elisa is described with similes like "eyes...as clear as water" and metaphors comparing her to a dog. Auditory imagery is evident in the "squeak of wheels." Foreshadowing is used when Elisa notices a "speck" on the road, hinting at the discarded chrysanthemums.
The opening of the story features richly described imagery described in metaphoric terms, including "grey-flannel fog" and "black earth shining like metal." Steinbeck uses similes to describe Elisa, too, with "eyes...as clear as water" and, when she kneels on the ground as she speaks to the tinker, "she crouched low like a fawning dog."
Because Elisa has no life outside the farm, her existence could be seen as her being kept, not unlike a useful dog. To further suggest this symbolism, the text states that "while the man came through the picket fence Elisa ran excitedly along the geranium-bordered path to the back of the house" much like a watchdog would patrol the perimeter of a home's lot. She is also described as having "terrier fingers."
In addition to metaphors and similes in the visual imagery, Steinbeck employs rich auditory imagery. The tinker's wagon catches Elisa's attention with a "squeak...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
of wheels and plod of hoofs," and when the tinker is standing near the wire fence, "he drew a big finger down the chicken wire and made it sing."
Steinbeck utilizes foreshadowing when Elisa catches sight of something in the road ahead when she and her husband set out for their trip into town for dinner. It is a "speck," but Elisa instantly realizes, and readers quickly determine, that the speck will turn out to be the pot of chrysanthemums she has so carefully potted and entrusted to the tinker.
Steinbeck uses in vivid imagery, which sets up the contrast between Eliza's "light" and the "grey" that consumes her world. The land parallels Eliza's isolation, both mentally and physically.
In the first paragraph, the narrator says,
The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all of the rest of the world. On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the valley a great closed pot.
The following paragraph also contrasts Eliza with her environment:
It was a time of quiet and of waiting. The air was cold and tender. A light wind blew...but fog and rain do not go together.
Like the farmers who hope for rain, quiet and waiting, so too does Eliza bide her time, hoping that some supernatural event will deliver her.
Steinbeck also uses metaphors, frequently comparing Eliza to a caged animal as she goes about her tasks. Trying to rid her beloved gardens of weeds, her anger and frustration are taken out on the troublesome intruders:
"Her terrier fingers destroyed such pests before they could get started."
Also consider how the language Steinbeck uses reflects the absolute control with which Eliza tries to order her world. Her house is "neat," the windows "hard polished"; even the "mud mat" is spotless. But desire and love is lacking in her life, and out of her control. Watch how many times the color red appears, a symbol of passion.