Pasta and Chrysanthemums?

After writing several weeks on Hamlet, I’ve decided that I simply can no longer do it. It was quite a journey, but that part of my literature life is temporarily on lock down. That being said, I also cannot find it in me to write about sonnets. I am not a romantic and I am not a poet, so sonnets also will not be the subject of my blog. Considering these are the top two things occurring in AP Lit, I found myself in quite the dilemma. Literature typically does not sneak its way into Figo Pasta, but lucky for me, my co-workers are extreme procrastinators when it comes to English papers. Having nothing to really blog about, I decided that tonight would be an opportune time to help out my buddy Andy with his Georgia Perimeter College English paper. Being a Monday night, the restaurant was hardly busy so Andy decided he should probably start writing his midterm paper (that is due by midnight tonight). I immediately began channeling my “inner English professor” as I reviewed his rough draft. Actually, let me rephrase that- I immediately began channeling my “inner English professor” as I reviewed the one sentence that he had. “‘The Chrysanthemums’ by John Steinbeck, is about a couple living on a ranch.” At this point, I had never read “The Chrysanthemums”, but I had inkling that it was a bit more about a couple living on a ranch. I asked if I could look at the copy of his story so that I would have a better idea of what he needed to write about. It turns out that Andy has no idea how to annotate and that “The Chrysanthemums” is a thought provoking short story. Firstly, the imagery is wonderful. Steinbeck includes vivid images of the seasons, weather, plants, and animals, all which add to the somewhat dismal mood of the overall story. Elisa, the woman in the story, perhaps portrays the tension that most women felt or feel about life. She is incredibly moody and unpredictable. She goes from being brutally short to gushing with pride in seconds. Maybe Steinbeck wants to suggest that no single interpretation can exist because people feel a mix of emotions at any single moment. Also, these conflicted emotions stem from the repressed feelings that women suffered through. Women were meant to be a certain way; these expectations probably made it difficult for them to portray their true selves thus leading to build up and unhealthy emotions. Maybe that’s why women are so confusing. Also, she is absolutely elated by the stranger’s compliment regarding her chrysanthemums. That is probably because the chrysanthemums are entirely her own. She is able to do with them what she pleases and they turn out beautifully. Her chrysanthemums represent her independence. Any ways… Andy got a decent amount of his paper done and I got an idea for my blog. Who would have thought that literature could somehow may its way into an Italian restaurant…