As you know, women have often been portrayed as the weaker sex when compared to men but do not ask me why. It's been like that throughout the history of mankind. As a result of these assumptions, many women have been bravely trying hard to dissociate themselves from this frame of mind and become more independent with their lives. "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck is one story that addressed this issue by portraying Elisa Allen as lady who is unsure of her way of life and what she really wants actually.
             The chrysanthemums in this story and other symbols showed us plenty about Elisa's struggle to find her own identity as a woman. I considered her opening appearance in the story is very manly but still showed a feminine side of Elisa. For Example, "Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume." She wore "a man's black hat, clod-hopper shoes and heavy leather gloves". She was also wearing " A figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron." This shows that even though she is a woman, she still wear man's clothes. Despite her hiding behind these symbolic clothes she was still doing the seemingly "female" job of tending a flower garden. Her chrysanthemums meant a lot to her. She is very proud of them. It is safe to say that they were almost like her children and she took care of them like a mother. We see this when she talks about them so passionately with the tinker. However "the chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy". This not only shows that she is physically strong but symbolize to the readers that she wants more from life than just being a gardener.
             The tinker is a very important figure in this story and changed Elisa's point of view about the kind of life she would like to live. He is described as a big, bearded, and graying man with a captivating presence whose eyes are dark and &qu
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