Her husband pays no attention to her
Explanation:
In the beginning of the short story, Steinbeck describes the Salinas Valley as a closed pot where there was no sun in December. If you think of something as being closed, nothing can get in or out, much like our main character, Elisa. She is enclosed on the ranch, where she lives a secluded. Elisa has no children and her husband shows her no romantic interest, which is a key reason why Elisa likes to garden. Elisa takes care of her garden like she would to the children she never had.  John Steinbeck says “No aphids were there, no sow bugs or snails or cutworms. Her terrier fingers destroyed such pests before they could get started.” She has geraniums, chrysanthemums, and orchids. These flowers are temperamental and require a lot of time and attention. So, Elisa mustn’t leave the ranch to much unless she is with her husband. Since, she lives in this closed place, she is caught off guard by the stranger’s interest in her flowers. She, desperately, falls for the attention and gives the stranger some of her chrysanthemums. So, not only is Elisa bored, and secluded, she is insecure about herself, which is shown by the way she dresses. But Elisa trusts the tinker by letting him in the gate, unlike her husband. She gives him the flower, which in a sense, she gives a piece of herself to him. Elisa has renewed passion for herself and probably, her marriage. The author states, “In the bathroom she tore off her soiled clothes and flung them into the corner. And then she scrubbed herself with a little block of pumice, legs and thighs, loins and chest and arms, until her skin was scratched and red. When she had dried herself she stood in front of a mirror in her bedroom and looked at her body. She tightened her stomach and threw out her chest. She turned and looked over her shoulder at her back. After a while she began to dress, slowly. She put on her newest underclothing and her nicest stockings and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness. She worked carefully on her hair, pencilled her eyebrows and rouged her lips.”. This still does nothing to her husband. His compliment is more of an insult and Elisa’s is hope
is quickly dwindling. Elisa’s hope is completely crushed when she sees her flowers on the road. Elisa realizes she is stuck in a nonromantic marriage, and she must learn to be content with that. The flowers on the road also shows her that she will forever be restricted to the ranch. She is so upset that she settled for a life like this that she starts crying.
