chrysanthemum means I love you. A white one stands for truth. And a yellow chrysanthemum means love “is not returned”. This flower also symbolizes hope
for the future”. The word chrysanthemum comes from the Greek words “chrysos” which means gold and “anthos” which means flower.
The writer wants to find out why the author uses the chrysanthemums as the symbol rather than another flower and also to find out the power of using the
chrysanthemums as the symbol in the story related to what happened in the major character‟s life. According to the writer, this sort story is appropriate in doing this
research study because in the short story there are so many symbols and their power as symbols. In John Steinbeck‟s short story, “The Chrysanthemums,” he
uses the flower to symbolize his main character‟s thoughts and ideas. The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck is about a frustrated w oman Elisa
who feels a strong sense of feminism and loneliness in her life. She seems to be oppressed by a male-driven society. The title itself depicts as a symbol of the
nature of Elisa. The author compares Elisas character with the Chrysanthemums who both have a strong and rough exterior but deep
inside have a compelling sense of beauty. The Chrysanthemums represent her repressed feelings and desires.
B. Problem Formulation
After describing the background, the writer formulates the problems as follows:
1. How is the major character described in the story?
2. What are the symbols used in the short story?
3. How do the symbols reflect the major character‟s life in the short
story?
C. Objectives of the Study
The writer formulates three objectives here. The writer is going to describe the major character
‟s characteristic and personality to understand deeply about the character itself. Then, the writer will find out the symbols that are used
in the story and how do the symbols reflect the major character‟s life in the story.
D. Definition of Terms
In this research study, the writer shares two specific terms that will be the focus of the research; symbols and major character.
Symbol sim-bol: a symbol is a word or object that stands for another word or object. The object or word can be seen with the eye or not visible. For
example a dove stands for Peace. The dove can be seen and peace cannot. The word is from the Greek word symbolom. All language is symbolizing one thing or
another. Symbol may sometimes remain within the work, as it were; but it is the nature of symbols to have extensional possibilities to open out to the world
beyond the work and engage the world of value outside the work. Guerin, 2004: 106
Major character is the most important character in the story; the one the story is about; the protagonist - this character is often called the main
character. There is usually one single major character, though it is possible for there to be multiple major characters for example, in the TV series Friends, the
six friends [Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey, Ross] are all major characters. Minor character is a person of less importance than the major
character, but who is necessary for the story to develop. Dorie from Finding Nemo is a minor character; she is important, but the story is not about her.
Major character is a presentation of the author of personality traits that a complex rather than a simple character emerges. As a rule, the major character in
a fiction need such three dimensional treatment, while minor characters are often handled two-dimensionally. To be fully convincing, a character ought to involve
some deep division and contradiction Guerin, 2004: 82.
7
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW
