In John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums," the traveling
repair man ignites the repressed passion in Elisa as well as her other hidden
qualities. When he arrives he finds Elisa unreceptive to him; then, he notices her
flowers and notices the "irritation and resistance" leave her face when he asks about
them. Detecting her love for these flowers, the tinker feigns interest in them,
encouraging Elisa to talk about them.
Pretending that he
wants to give a woman who lives down the road some chrysanthemums, the tinker says,
"Oh, ...I's'pose I can't take none to her, then" when Elisa tells him the flowers cannot
be raised from seed. But, Elisa offers to put some in damp sand for him to carry with
him. Gladly, the tinker accepts.
Excitedly, Elisa finds a
pot and fills it as she discusses her passion for the flowers and their beauty. As she
talks Elisa's voice grows husky and she gets a little carried away in her passion as she
reaches for the man's pant leg and touches it. Then, she stands, "her face was
ashamed." Nevertheless, she feels expanded in her sexual
feelings.
After the tinker leaves, Elisa bathes, more
conscious of her womanliness than before the man has come. Even her husband notices,
telling her how nice she looks. Elisa is encouraged that she her and husband can spend
a loving evening together as man and woman; however along the way, she spots the
chrysanthemums and its pot cast off onto the road. Feeling that she has been used, Elisa
turns from her husband so he will not see her cry for her exploited passion. This
rejection by the tinker makes Elisa feel repressed and limited
again.
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