Friday, April 22, 2011

In John Steinbeck's Chrysanthemums what is the point of view?

Steinbeck's "Chrysanthemums" is a short story first
published in an 1937 issue of Harper's, and later in a collection
of stories in The Long Valley, published in 1938. It is believed by
some to be one of the most important short stories ever written, especially in that
there is a great deal of debate as to what kind of character the protagonist is: weak or
powerful; eliciting sympathy or not.


The short story is
about a woman named Elisa Allen, and it has been suggested that it
may be based upon the Steinbeck's first wife.  It is a story about
a young, strong and energetic woman who is an excellent gardener. After a chance meeting
with a "tinker" (someone who fixes things) who passes by her husband's farm, she sees
her life in a new and unsatisfying way. Though her husband seems to genuinely care about
how she feels and what she thinks, the encounter with the tinker makes her aware that
even though she is strong and able, she also lives a confined existence because she is a
woman.


The information of the characters and the developing
plot line come to us from an unidentified narrator. Therefore, the story is written in
third person, limited. This means that the author uses the
pronouns he, she, they,
etc., in the narrative. "Limited" means that the author only gives
us insight into the thoughts of one specific character. This is the
most popular point of view authors use when writing stories.

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