John Steinbeck’s short stories often focus on characters that go unrecognized in real life. He writes about irrelevant people who are bashful, unappealing who might lack charisma or tenacity. He often tries to unveil another facet of such a character. These characters struggle to find their inner worth as a result of the universe not having given them any love, appreciation, or compassion. A valid example of this kind of character is Elisa Allen of “The Chrysanthemums” who is an unappreciated woman that struggles to find her inner worth and happiness partly, due to the prevalence of by gender norms. Elisa Allen is passionate thirty five year old woman who lives a boring, unsatisfied life. Despite being the the story’s protagonist who is a skilled gardener …show more content…
She is in the prime of her life physically and intellectually as indicated by her banter with the tinker, the passion whit which she describes instinctive bonds she has with the chrysanthemums and her hearty energy. She is a dynamic and round character as indicated by her change in emotion and behaviour after the tinker’s visit. Until the tinker arrives to the story, Elisa’s mannersims are much like a traditional wife from the 1930s. She ia an excellent gardener, supports her husband in his duties, and therby fulfills her stereotypical gender role. However, after the departure of the tinker, her behavior strays from the stereotypical prescribed gender role. She observes her body in the mirror and gets dressed in her prettiest clothes, which hints the fact that the tinker's visit reignited a spark and interest in her sexuality and femininty She begins to question her husband's mundane compliments, which leads the reader to believe that she wants more from life and is dissatisified with the traditional, superficial