The Chrysanthemums

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What significant historical events occurred in the 1920s and 1930s in America and around the world? What impact did these events have on women in particular?

Teaching Suggestion: In order to provide some context for students, it might be helpful to have a timeline posted with events slightly prior to the 1920s and events slightly after the 1930s to help them contextualize the time period they are discussing. Consider accessing or sharing these or similar resources with students to help inform this work.

• This presentation by the Library of Congress provides a rich context for the events of the 1920s and 1930s and offers links to a variety of contemporary primary sources.
• “The 1930s: Women’s Shifting Rights and Roles in the United States“ - This article explores the social impact of the Great Depression on American women while also providing historical context.

2. What roles would have been considered appropriate for a woman in the late 1930s? What jobs would be seen as fitting for her to do on a ranch?

Teaching Suggestion: If students are familiar with Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, it might be helpful to ask them to reflect on what Curly’s wife was and was not allowed to do on the ranch. You may also want to look ahead at the issue of Good Housekeeping that is included in the Personal Connection Prompt below, as this advertises products aimed at housewives of the period. Consider accessing or sharing these or similar resources with students to generate discussion.

• “Snow White: The Ideal 1930s Woman“ - This one-minute video by PBS suggests that Snow White embodied the ideal of the 1930s woman. Later, students might be encouraged to draw connections between Snow White’s character and Elisa’s.
• “Underpaid, But Employed: How the Great Depression Affected Working Women“ - This article details what kinds of jobs were available to women during the Great Depression and emphasizes the gender pay gap perpetuated during this time period.

Short Activity

John Steinbeck is known for his realistic approach to his writings. Research the components of realistic fiction and create a bookmark that lists the characteristics of the genre. As you read “The Chrysanthemums,” use this bookmark as a key to annotate any of the characteristics of realistic fiction as they occur.

Teaching Suggestion: It might be helpful to allow students to research the genre independently, but then create a collaborative list of the characteristics of realistic fiction before students start on their bookmarks. Students can create a shorthand for the elements of realistic fiction (e.g., “RE” for “realistic event”) and use that both on their bookmark and in their text as they annotate.

• This guide from Merrimack College provides a succinct list of the common characteristics of realistic fiction that students could adapt to fit on a bookmark. This site also provides examples of realistic fiction.

Differentiation Suggestion: A differentiation strategy for struggling readers or English Language Learners would be to work in small groups with learners who are more confident in both reading and language acquisition. For tactile or visual learners, incorporate different colored highlighters to designate different elements of realistic fiction. Highlight realistic dialog in yellow, realistic settings in blue, and so on.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the story.

Write a journal entry from the perspective of a 1930s farm woman. Describe what tasks you completed throughout the day and how you felt about them.

Teaching Suggestion: Before students engage with this prompt, it might be helpful to thoroughly discuss the Short Answer questions listed above.

This issue of Good Housekeeping from 1936 provides insight into life for women at the time “The Chrysanthemums” is set. Good Housekeeping, founded in 1885, has been one of the world’s most trusted magazines for women for generations and features articles, recipes, and literary works.