The story "The Chrysanthemums", written by John Steinbeck, is a short story about a couple living in the Sinas Valley. It follows Elisa Allen's experience on a winter's day and describes her life as a farmer's wife. The setting is set in the past, after the invention of cars, but still at a time when caravans were not uncommon. She becomes interested in the idea of ​​living an independent life after talking to a man about her life while traveling in a caravan. While she is intrigued by the idea of ​​living in a trailer, she is held back by the idea that it is no life for a woman (851). This story illustrates how society assigns value to people based on their gender roles, and how people can be prevented from discovering their true potential due to the limitations society places on them. This theme is illustrated in this story early on when the author describes Elisa Allen. His strength and ambition are evident in his facial features and abilities when Steinbeck explains: “His face was eager and beautiful; even his work with the scissors was excessive, overwhelming. The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and too easy for his energy” (847). His face was eager for work and challenge, and the small task of cutting the chrysanthemum stems was too simple for his ambition. Given that her work was excessive and overwhelming, it is obvious that she was full of energy for stronger things. However, she was forced to do simple things like gardening because she was a woman. She couldn't go out and manage the farm like her husband because she was considered fragile. Later in the article she indirectly talks about what is acceptable for her, as a woman, to be interested when her husband jokingly suggests... middle of paper ......h him , saying that this is a good way to describe chrysanthemums (849), showing that she knows what place she has in society. Thanks to the handyman's interest and praise for her chrysanthemums, she too feels praised and appreciated for once. This gives her a boost of self-confidence after their meeting, allowing her to put a lot of effort into looking good for the film with her husband (851-852). Also, when she sees the chrysanthemum she gave to the handyman thrown carelessly on the side of the road, she cries, knowing that her view of the woman has not changed and remains just as ignorant as before (852) . For once, she thought she was understood by a man, and that he could see the magnificence of what she was capable of doing. But she was shocked when she saw herself thrown on the side of the road, still as insignificant as ever...