The Chrysanthemums is a story that takes place in the Salinas Valley of California. The story”s main character is Elisa Allen. Elisa is thirty-five years old. She is a character that goes through development and many changes in the story. Through out the story Elisa Allen goes through both physical and mental changes. “In the beginning of the story Elisa is strong and eager”. She is working in her garden. Her husband Henry comes over to see her and asks her if she would like to go to town for dinner and a movie. Elisa becomes all happy when Henry asks her to do this.
Elisa tells Henry that she would like to go to town. “She said she would like to go to town with him like she really didn”t get to spend much time with him”. Elisa”s mental attitude changes once again when the man tells her that he wants to give the chrysanthemum seeds to a lady that he sees during his trip. When Elisa heard what the man wanted to do ” she ran excitedly along the geranium bordered path to the back of the house” . She was running to get a flower pot to put the chrysanthemum seeds in. The man left with the flower pot and Elisa was very happy.
Elisa was really happy when she left with her husband to go to town. This didn”t last very long. Her whole attitude changed when she saw what the man had done with the chrysanthemum seeds. They had all been thrown on the side of the road. The man just left with the flower pot. Elisa had felt really hurt when she saw the seeds on the side of the road. The chrysanthemums were something Elisa planted all her life. When she saw them on the ground she felt like her Fe was just thrown away. In the story Elsia goes through physical changes as well. Elisa was only thirty five years old.
From working in her garden all the time her face was lean and strong. Her body was blocked and heavy. While Elisa was working in the garden she was wearing a heavy gardening costume, a man”s black hat, clod-hopper shoes, and a big corduroy apron. She changes when she goes to town with Henry. Now she was wearing her newest under clothing and her nicest stockings. She also put on a dress which was a symbol of her prettiness. Before she was dressed like a hard working person and she really didn”t look like a woman. Now she really did look like a woman.
Elisa also seems like she starts some relationships in the story. It seems that she starts a small relationship with the man. She really did not want anything to do with at first. When the man says that he knows someone that wanted Elisa”s chrysanthemum seeds to grow she starts to like him. Before this the man wanted Elisa to give him something to fix. Elisa just would not give him anything. Once she heard him mention her chrysanthemums she changed. She ran to the back of the house and found a flower pot for him. She brought it back and gave it to him.
This is why I think she started a small relationship with the man. During the story Elisa goes through some emotional changes. The first one is when she is working in her garden. The man showed up and wanted her to give him something to fix. She refused to give him anything to fix. Once the man said he knew someone that could use the chrysanthemum seeds she emotionally changed. “She becomes excited as she offers detailed instructions for raising the flowers” . Elisa went from being emotionally dull to being emotionally excited. Elisa”s emotions change once again when she sees what the man had done with the seeds.
Before she had seen this she was happy and excited. She had felt like she ha d accomplished something by the man taking the chrysanthemum seeds. After she saw what happened she began to cry in the car while she was heading to town for dinner. At the beginning of the story Elisa is a proud woman that is frustrated with her present life. She has no one to talk to except her husband. She really doesn”t even talk to him much. Because of the lack of people to talk to o and get rid of her frustrations she gets rid of them by planting chrysanthemums in her garden.
Her chrysanthemums were like her children. She tends for her chrysanthemums and garden with care. Her husband even complimented her at the beginning of the story. When the man took the flower pot and just threw the chrysanthemums on the side of the road she changes from being a mother like person to her flowers. Instead all she did was cry about what had happened and she did not even do anything about it. Elisa really did not have any humor in her at the beginning of the story. Henry tries to joke with her by asking her if she would like to got to a boxing match along with dinner.
Henry thought that Elisa knew nothing about the sport. She really did know some stuff about the sport. When Henry asked her again if she wanted to go to the boxing match she took the humor and said no. Through out the story Elisa had been acting more like a man rather then a woman. Because of the type of area that she lives in I can she why. There is not really much stuff for her to do except man stuff. The only person that is around for her to talk to is Henry. She does not talk to him much so she really does not have much of a social life.
She does not know how to show the woman side of her except by maintaining her garden. Her husband Henry would like her to help in the field, but she thinks that her garden is too important. When the man showed up Elisa began to show her woman side. She becomes excited when he wants to give the chrysanthemum seeds to another lady. In the end “the man doesn”t necessarily reinforce her lack of appreciation, but instead he brutally makes Elisa realize her own illusions. By doing this the man makes Elisa show her true emotions and prove that she is a true woman.
