Elisa Allen is introduced to us as a common housewife, who spends her days in .
her flower beds or in the kitchen, cooking. Her passion is growing chrysanthemums; she .
grows the biggest, most beautiful blossoms in the Salinas Valley. She lives a quiet, .
simple life and never really questions that her only dream and goal is to have to biggest .
chrysanthemums each year until she is visited by a traveling "Mr. Fix It." The day he .
turned down her road, she grew, more than she would ever realize. When she witnesses .
the life he lives and all the exciting journeys he has lead, she starts to think and wish for a .
different life of her own. .
Feeling trapped in a now, meaningless, boring life Elisa expresses her frustrations, .
starting when Henry, her husband, comes outside to the porch where she is waiting for .
him so they can leave for dinner in town. Henry comments that she looks strong that .
evening and she is offended. Then again in the car, when they pass the traveling man on .
the road she begins to cry and can not look in his direction. She cries because she knows .
she will never be able to live a more exciting, spontaneous life. Never-the-less she hopes .
and wishes she could change her life. Elisa knows that she must settle for dinner with .
wine rather than an exciting adventure.
In the beginning of the story she is a weak woman and when the story ends she is .
still a weak woman. The only difference is that at the end she knows what she is giving .
up. I feel that this story parallels what a lot of women go through daily, even though .
they are given the opportunity to do more with their lives. Society claims we are equal .
with men in every aspect but then why do so many of us still feel so obligated to put our .
own dreams and goals last, and think of others first, feeling torn between a .
career and having a family, the chrysanthemums being Elisa's children? Hopefully, one .
day women will not have to pick between the two.
