"Chrysanthemums" is a well crafted story where everything fits into place. Steinbeck also stereotypes a woman's sexuality in this short story. The story doesn't show a woman standing up for herself to another man or exceeding in something a man should, but instead this story is a great example of how important and sensitive a female's sexuality is.
             "Chrysanthemums" is a short story written in the omniscient third person. The story is taking place in valley in December. The narrator chooses to focus on mostly Elisa and her actions and thoughts. Henry, Elisa's husband, and the traveler also play a part in Elisa's life. Elisa is a country wife depicted to be a strong, masculine, reserved woman distant from the world around her. She spends most of her time in her garden with the most pleasurable thing to her, her Chrysanthemums. The Chrysanthemum is a symbol of her female sexuality. Henry doesn't make her feel special or beautiful in anyway, her life is basically dull. But when she is in her garden with her Chrysanthemum she feels right. The traveler comes along in a spring-wagon, who is searching for work, helps feel more womanly about herself.
             The plot/climax in "Chrysanthemums" starts when she sees the traveler. He asks her for money but she declined. Not giving up so easily, he decides to bring up her Chrysanthemums, her prized possession. The traveler saw how excited Elisa got when she talked about her Chrysanthemums, so he decides to use that to his advantage. Women tend to get sucked into things they feel real passionate about and this was Elisa's passion. "She was kneeling on the ground looking up at him. Her breast swelled passionately" (p. 216) explaining the feeling of picking the buds, how u can never make a mistake, it's just the fingertips and the plants. This sentence could be perceived as Elisa touching the man in a sensational, intimate ...