Chrysanthemums
... over the fence" (380). The tinker is the first person to want to enter her world. Later Elisa decides to let him into her garden, and with that act, breaks the barrier that has isolated her from the outside. The chrysanthemums themselves and other symbols illustrate a great deal about Elisa's struggle to find her own identity. She seems not to be in touch with her own sexuality and is not able to discover the source of her dissatisfaction. Her initial appearance in the story is incredibly conservative and manly, "Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's black hat pulled down over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes and heavy leather gloves…" yet still allows a feminine side to be noticed, "She wore a figured print dress almost completely covered by a corduroy apron…" (194). This imagery represents her repression of her own sexuality. Despite her hiding behind these symbolic clothes, she was still doing the "female" job of looking after the flower garden. She learns but not accepts that she possesses a weak feminine power not the masculine one she tried to achieve. The chrysanthemums meant a great deal to her. She grew them with the work of her hands and the care of her heart. They were almost like her children and she took care of them like a mother. We observe this when she talks about them so passionately with the tinker. However, the author portrays that "the stems seemed too small and easy for her energy" (194). This symbol makes it clear to the reader that she wants more from life than just being a gardener. The tinker is an especially important figure in this story and represents the kind of life Elisa Allen would like to experience. He is described as a big, bearded and greying man with an attractive presence whose eyes are dark and full of brooding. He lives his life on the road, traveling the country and making what little money he can from his loyal customers by fixing their pots and knives. After entering Elisa's yard, he repeatedly asks if she has anything he can fix. She refuses him a job and becomes very irritated, “The irritation and resistance melted from Elisa’s face” (pg 197). But when the tinker admires her flowers she “grew eager and alert" (pg197), and feels like he admires her and, “she tears off the battered hat and shook out her dark pretty hair” (pg 197). She decides to allow the tinker into her world by giving him some sprouts of chrysanthemums in a pot for the "customer" that he claims is interested in chrysanthemums. By giving him the sprouts, she gives him the symbol of her inner-self. Her enthusiasm for her flowers is a very feministic characteristic. She gives the tinker a job and he leaves. The fact that others might be interested in her passion for gardening gives her the idea that she may have a distinct role in society and can make a difference, even a small one. After the departure of the man in the truck, Elisa feels like a transformed woman and acquires hope for herself and her marriage. She feels like a renewed woman and rushes to take a bath. She washes and scrubs herself as if to remove the bits and pieces of her old lifestyle and to allow her new, confident self shine through. She then looks at her new self in the mirror and beams at the sight of it. She hopes that Henry will recognize her as a woman and provide her the roma...