A Victim of Circumstances
In John Steinbeck's, "The Chrysanthemums," the opening paragraph is a
vignette of Elisa Allen's drab existence. Elisa was trapped in a marriage that was both
physically and emotionally deprived. It seems that she lacked the initiative nor the inner
strength to break the bonds that held her to such an uneventful existence, filled only by
"The high gray-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky
and from the rest of the world." (1) The fog represents the mental obstacle that keeps
Elisa content in her own little world. She found a past time that she was good at and it
was satisfying. However, there is a deep yearning to do more with her life. The
flowers were too weak for the energy that she had caged up within. She needed to
Elisa is in a state of mixed emotions. In a sense she loves her life but it leaves a
lot to be desired. She loves the security that her clean and simple existence affords
her. However, the fire that burned within longed for more than the comfort of her
garden. This thought of secure warm living in challenged physically when an
inquisitive, untidy mountebank enters her little world representing an alternative way of
The tinker made a plethora of attempts trying to persuade her to give him work to
do to no avail. However, his curiosity prompted him to inquire about her
flowers."What's them plants, ma'am?(50) His curiosity found the keys to her heart
and he promptly uses them to his advantage. Unfortunate for Elisa she perceives his
tactics from a different perspective. His concern for her flowers was perceived as him
having a concern about her life and it gave her hope. Once the tinker had her under his
aegis to he proceeded to tell her a lachrymose tale about missing meals and having to
spend lonely nights in his wagon. Elisa was so moved by this
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