s forever elusive. She feels trapped between societys definition of the masculine and the feminine. Elisa generally wears bland, baggy clothes that tend to de-gender her. Her husband Henry is more practical, with greater involvement in physical concern; but is confronted by a woman whose depression is partially due to a confusion of sexual identity. Henry withdraws from the masculine role of leadership, leaving Elisa to flounder between aggression and submission. Here Steinbeck offers no solution for the psychological conflicts that plague human interactions. He does not want the readers to see Elisa change; he wants to leave it open, to make us wonder about her character. Steinbecks short story focuses on the details of the simple lives and hardships of men and women in the Salinas River Valley, bringing the reader into the characters most private lives and intimate moments. In this story, something as simple and uneventful as a visit by a traveling repairman reveals the tedious and monotonous lifestyle led by a farmers wife. The reader is drawn into the tale and vicariously experiences the suffering and longing of the lonely housewife. This story reflects the unfulfilled longings of a country housewife, who compensates for her disappointments in her life through her garden. Steinbeck's use of simple themes and his concern for common human values, stir the reader's thoughts and emotions, and leave them with an awareness of life. "This story has one rare, creative thing: a directness of impression that makes it glow with life."...
