Elisa's Garden With the growing season at hand and the sweet smell of spring in the air a women is lonely. She longs for the day that her husband will show more appreciation and affection towards the things that she so dearly loves. This is the case in John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums". Elisa's loneliness is demonstrated through her words, her garden and her relationship with Henry. Through the words of Elisa Allen there is a brief sense of unhappiness. Trying to refrain from showing her feminine side Elisa doesn't let her emotions leak exposing her true hostile outlook on life. While the Tinker is searching for a job he swings by the garden where Elisa is working. It is during this time that he shows lots of interest in her handy work. This makes Elisa feel euphoric and she opens her emotions up to this man making herself extremely vulnerable. While the two speak Elisa mentions to the man that she wishes woman could do such things like live in a wagon. He responds by saying, "It would be a lonely life for a women, ma'am, and a scarey life, too, with animals creeping under the wagon all night." This is ironic because Elisa has a house, beautiful garden and a husband; yet she still feels lonely and neglected. After the conversation is drawn to a close between the Tinker and Elisa the Tinker heads down the road in his wagon. It is at this point in the story that Elisa whispers quietly to herself, "That's a bright direction. There's a glowing there." After these words are mumbled under her breath she looks around to see if anybody heard what she had just spoken, but nobody has heard what she has said while working in her garden. Elisa Allen's garden is a way for her to escape reality and the significant amount of loneliness she faces everyday. Elisa spends the majority of her day working within the fence that surrounds her garden. It is this gate that Henry never enters into because he sees this as Elisa's place of peace. What Henry never realizes is that Elisa really wants his companionship. She wants him to come and spend time with her in the garden. She wishes to know what it's like to have a husband that shows interest in his wives hobbies. Elisa and Henry's relationship with one another is not a strong one. Elisa's relationship with Henry is one more of a distant cousin than that of a husband. Henry doesn't realize exactly what Elisa needs from him. She just wishes that he would take the initiative and become a better husband. The relationship between these two seems to have become stale and not either of them are progressing from the marriage. Henry's ability to be more outgoing with Elisa is irrelevant and vice versa. In conclusion, Elisa Allen is a lonely women who wants to be more appreciated for the things she does. Her husband doesn't notice these problems because Elisa is to masculine and doesn't express her feelings. Therefore their relationship isn't a strong one. Elisa's loneliness is expressed through her words, her garden and her relationship with Henry.
