The Chrysanthemums Summary and Analysis of ‘The Chrysanthemums’: The End. Once the tinker’s wagon disappears, Elisa returns to her house, where she removes all of her clothes and bathes thoroughly. When she’s finished, she stands in front of her bedroom mirror and studies her body.

How does the story The Chrysanthemums end?

She asks her husband if they can have wine with their dinner, and then enquires about the boxing fights and whether the man who take part really hurt each other. The story ends with her crying like an old woman.

What does Elisa realize at the end of The Chrysanthemums?

She feels devastated by the tinker’s thoughtless rejection of her very soul. He, like her husband, has failed to appreciate the very qualities that make her unique as a woman. This one symbolic act has left her with no hope. She realizes that her life is not going to change.

What happens at the end of The Chrysanthemums What does the stranger do that?

Unfortunately, they story ends sadly when Elisa finds that the man had carelessly discarded the flowers she had given him.

Why did the Tinker throw away The Chrysanthemums?

In fact, the tinker may be bewildered and embarrassed by her intensity and want only to sell his services to her. The fact that he tosses away her chrysanthemum shoots—a symbol of Elisa herself—supports the idea that the tinker does not share Elisa’s passions at all.

How and why does Elisa change at the end?

Elisa doesn’t change at all. She begins the story an isolated, lonely woman, and ends it just the same. Elisa’s major transformation is from a woman who is unaware of her own lack of fulfillment, to one who is painfully conscious of what her life is missing. Her transformation is really an awakening.

What is the message of The Chrysanthemums?

The Inequality of Gender



“The Chrysanthemums” is an understated but pointed critique of a society that has no place for intelligent women. Elisa is smart, energetic, attractive, and ambitious, but all these attributes go to waste.

Why does Elisa cry at the end of the story Discuss what you believe her tears indicate and what they suggest about what rest of her life will look like?

These tears seem to indicate an agony rooted in a sad acceptance of her misery, which would suggest that Elisa’s future is just as bleak. Although she hopes for a way to find more independence and an outlet for her excess energy, she has no hope for escape from her provincial, isolated life.

What do scissors symbolize in The Chrysanthemums?

Throughout “The Chrysanthemums” scissors connote a sense of masculine power and control. Elisa is rarely without her scissors throughout most of the story. She has a special pocket in her apron devoted to her scissors and she uses them in her chrysanthemum garden to cut down the previous season’s growth.

What symbolizes Elisa in the story?

The chrysanthemums symbolize both Elisa and the limited scope of her life. Like Elisa, the chrysanthemums are lovely, strong, and thriving.

What does Elisa see as she and her husband drive into town at the end of The Chrysanthemums?

As they drive along the road toward Salinas, Elisa sees a dark spot up ahead and can’t stop herself from looking at it, sure that it’s a pile of discarded chrysanthemum shoots that the tinker has thrown away.

What do scissors symbolize in The Chrysanthemums?

Throughout “The Chrysanthemums” scissors connote a sense of masculine power and control. Elisa is rarely without her scissors throughout most of the story. She has a special pocket in her apron devoted to her scissors and she uses them in her chrysanthemum garden to cut down the previous season’s growth.

What is the conflict in The Chrysanthemums?

The prominent conflict in this story is man vs self. Elisa deals with an internal conflict where she is not entirely satisfied with her life. She is not thoroughly happy with the way she feels or is being treated in her marriage.