is a mid-aged housewife who also has a passion for growing chrysanthemums. “[Elisa’s] passionate involvement with the process of planting becomes an expression of all the suppressed romance in her life” (Lewis 393). “She is a strong, childless woman of thirty-five that has subliminated her maternal instincts by producing remarkable flowers” (French, John 83). Nevertheless, “the plants and flowers cannot compensate for the lack of understanding and affection from her husband” (McCarthy 27). In the story, Elisa plays the role of a simple-minded lady who allows her husbands thoughts and actions to dominate her. “Elisa’s marriage neither fills her time nor fulfills her desires” (Hughes 24). However, Beach concludes that Elisa without a doubt has a “soul” and is much less simple than she seems (Beach 32). Henry Allen plays the role of a typical male, “[he is] well-meaning and basically decent.” However, “his concentration on his own role as provider, organizer, and decision maker has blinded him to the fact that [his wife] needs something more in her life than a neat house and a good garden” (Lewis 394, 394). “[The tinker] is described as big, bearded, and graying, a man who has been around, who knows something about life and people…” (Lewis 392). When the tinker begins a discussion with Elisa and discovers her vulnerability, he then uses this as a part of his scheme to manipulate her emotionally. “[The tinker] is accomplished at gauging a person’s emotional needs, and he has developed a facility for the kind of conversation that verges on the suggestive” (Lewis 392). There are several differences found between these two men. “In contrast to [Elisa’s] husband, [the tinker] is a kind of adventurer who lives spontaneously, a man of the road not bound by standard measures of time and plac...
