She complemented "You've got a strong new crop coming," he returned the favor, "You've got a gift with things"(Lewis 348). Lewis critics that "while they have settled into a fairly familiar routine, they are still responsive to each others moods." On another note Elisa's second sign of loneliness was her eased acceptance of strangers. The big, bearded, and graying man achieved a dramatic response from her. She felt "Energized and appreciated, delighted to share her special skill and excited by the chance to share a totally different kind of life."(350). Finally Elisa's struggle loneliness remains as she continues to hide her pain from her husband, and pictures her future "Crying weakly like an old woman." (Jacobs 354).
Elisa's actions and feelings denote her issues of repressed feminine qualities. Although her environment is male dominated, she feels the need to emasculate herself to fit in. She wears "a mans black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clod hopper, shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron-(Steinbeck 347). AS her masculine state is tomboyish, she still preserves her lady like characteristics. When Elisa's husband asks her if she would like to go out to dinner her feminine side comes out. She is excited to go and would much rather see a movie then go see the fights; she "wouldn't like the fights at all"(349). She continuously switches from masculinity to her feminine side. When the Tinker arrives she quickly brushes him off, as a man would do when he becomes irritated. As soon as he mentions her precious chrysanthemums she is open for discussion. Her enthusiasm oh helping him with necessary flowers for a friend shows another switch to a feminine characteristic. After the tinker leaves is still is intrigued by his life style and how "woman could do such things" (348). She begins to outcast true feminine characteristic while getting ready for her husband.