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Overview

Published in 1937, John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums” tells the story of Elisa Allen, a woman living on a ranch in the Salinas Valley in California. Elisa is a capable and energetic woman who is frustrated with the limitations of her life and her marriage. As she tends to her chrysanthemum garden, a tinker arrives, sparking a fleeting sense of connection and longing for adventure. The story explores themes of gender roles, isolation, and the limitations imposed on women in a patriarchal society.

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