Elisa’s Failed Quest for Identity —- The Tragedy in John Steinbeck’s “ The Chrysanthemums”文献综述

 2022-09-08 11:09

Literature Review

As the third novelist after World War II who won Nobel Prize in the history of U.S, Steinbeck was in practice as a writer of conscience and mission from humanitarian level in his whole life. “The Chrysanthemums” is one of Steinbeckrsquo;s finest novels.

Steinbeck wrote in a letter on February 25, 1934 to George Albee, saying that “I shall be interested to know what you think of the story, lsquo;The Chrysanthemumsrsquo;. It is entirely different and is designed to strike without the readerrsquo;s knowledge. I mean he reads it casually and after it is finished feels that something profound has happened to him although he does not know what nor how.” Steinbeck wanted to catch the readers between lines so that the readers could not escape seeing multiple levels of charm of the short story. The themes of “The Chrysanthemums” are multiple and complex.

Some critics analyze “The Chrysanthemums” from the perspective of ecofeminism. The term “ecofeminism” was first introduced in 1974 by a French writer, Francoise drsquo;Eaubonne, in her book, Le Feminism ou La Mort.

In the' The Chrysanthemums Abandoned in the Wildness, the Women Barred from the Male World: An Ecofeminist Analysis of John Steinbeckrsquo;s lsquo;The Chrysanthemumsrsquo; ', Liu li mentioned “ In the short novel lsquo;The Chrysanthemumsrsquo;, Elisa Allen is presented as the female, and her chrysanthemums are the representatives of nature. Meanwhile, Henry, Elisarsquo;s husband and an unnamed tinker are represented as the male. By analyzing the connection between Elisa and the chrysanthemums, it is revealed that women and nature are intimately interconnected. Further more, the analysis of Henry and the tinkerrsquo;s attitudes toward Elisa and her chrysanthemums show menrsquo;s domination of women and nature. At last, the living plight of women and nature is revealed. The root of menrsquo;s domination of women and nature lies in the patriarchal ideology, and it seems that the author Steinbeck holds a slim hope of women and nature escaping from the confinement.”

Similarly, Zhang Yingbo furthered the study and she once said in her “An Eco-feminist Study of Steinbeckrsquo;s lsquo;The Chrysanthemumsrsquo; ”, “ An Ecofeminist study of the story reveals the fact that women as well as nature are usually ignored and destroyed by male-chauvinistic and man-centered dualism prevalent in American during the 1930s. Steinbeck aims to criticize the patriarchal ideology, utilitarianism and man-centrism as he strongly holds that there exists a natural tie between nature and feminine spirit. Through the image of Elisa, the insightful author expresses his affectionate feelings towards nature, women and their fate.” (Zang Yingbo, 2010,106-110)

Ecofeminism describes movements and philosophies that link feminism with ecology. Ecofeminists believe that the oppression of women and nature is interconnected and appeal for public attention to womenrsquo;s potential for an ecological revolution. Both stand from the point of ecofeminism, Liu li thinks the root of menrsquo;s domination of women and nature lies in the patriarchal ideology, while Zhang Yingbo holds the view that it happens not only because the patriarchal ideology, but also the utilitarianism and man-centrism.

However, Stanley Renner denied the traditional feminist interpretations of the novel and he pointed out that Elisa was not sympathetic at all. He explained in Modern Fiction Studies that Elisa was “less a woman imprisoned by men than one who secures herself within a fortress of sexual reticence and self-withholding defensiveness”. Actually, I am quite favor of this statement. Elisa was not totally frustrated by her husband, but she frequently frustrated herself by rejecting the reality for a romantic fantasy. In other words, I think Elisarsquo;s tragedy not only resulted from the patriarchal ideology, but also her own attitudes toward the society and her own life at that time. (Renner, 1985,313)

Meanwhile, other critics analyze the novel from the perspective of humanitarianism. Zhang yan in her 'The Analysis of humanitarianism in the Works of John Steinbeck' pointed out the topic of humanitarianism about this story. “In the series of Steinbeckrsquo;s novels, we can not only read the criticism of human behavior to the destruction of humanitarian thought and the praise of the goodness of human nature in western tradition, but also realize writerrsquo;s positive attitude to the treatment of natural environment, violent protests, reconstruction of human nature and transcend tradition and contemporary writer. He revealed dark reality and stuck to good humanity and thought rebuilding of society in long river of humanitarianism.” (Zhang yan, 2011)

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