like a watermelon” (1088). This unflattering remark on her appearance does not do much for Elisa’s ego as a woman. Her hope is finally crushed when she sees the flowers on the road. She feels devastated by the tinker’s insensitive rejection of her very soul. She realizes that her life is not going to change. Her femininity and sexuality are never going to be fully appreciated nor understood by Henry. Her devastation at this realization is completed and leaves her “crying weakly—like an old woman” (1089).Thus, the chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa’s role as a woman. First, they symbolize her children; later, they represent her femininity and sexuality. Elisa feels frustrated with her life because children and romance are missing in her marriage with Henry. Further, her husband fails to appreciate her womanly qualities and her emotional needs. The encounter with the tinker reawakens her sexuality and brings hope to Elisa for a more exciting and romantic marriage, but her realization that her life is not going to change is crystallized when she sees the flowers thrown on the road. It devastates her completely to have to settle for such an unfulfilling life, making her realized that her life will remain the same. ...
