John Steinbeck almost never followed the expectations for him. Steinbeck wrote about what interested him even though the critics were after him during much of his career. He demanded on being the author that was extraordinary:
             "A sense of fun, a probing curiosity, and a capacity for wonder-all of these are qualities that we associate with childhood, and there was a good deal of the child in Steinbeck throughout his life" (Benson, 3).
             Steinbeck was also interested in "defining the nature of reality" (Benson, 246).
             Elisa Allen in "The Chrysanthemums" has passion, creativity, and potential which are suppressed by her life on an isolated ranch. The yellow chrysanthemums are symbolic of Elisa. They, like her, keep surviving every time they are cut down. They also bloom into a much more beautiful object. She's strong, close to nature, and a beautiful person, like the flowers.
             Elisa is described at the beginning of the story as, "...blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes, a fig four big pockets..." (Henderson, 350).
             Elisa meets a traveling repair man and he broke a barrier when he showed interest in Elisa's flowers, which happened to be her life passion. After she shared her passion of flowers with the man, she felt a change in herself. She felt better and actually enjoyed her renewal. While getting ready for that evening, "...she tore off her clothes and flung them into the corner" (Henderson, 355), in a symbol of her old self getting tossed aside to become a new person.
             She had a taste of freedom, giving her a sparkle. Henry, her husband, even noticed that she was changed. He said, "Why-why, Elisa. You look so nice" (Henderson, 356).
             When she sees the flowers dumped in the road, she says, "He might have thrown the off the road, that wouldn&ap
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