Femininism and Women in Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums"

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Dear Student,

Steinbeck is one of my favorite writers. His work is full of rich symbolism. The question is asking you to choose details from the story that shows something about who Elisa is and what she has become in the short time she talks to the tinker.

What happens to Elisa is change; she goes from a matronly wife, to a blossoming young woman, and then to an old lady, all in the matter of what appears to be a couple of hours.

So here's what you can do with the question: The evidence in mostly in the exchange between Elisa and the tinker--partly in the dialogue, but to a large extent through the discussion of the flowers and how to make them grow. Unlike the flowers, Elisa cannot grow past where is in her ...