The focus narrows and finally settles on Elisa Allen, cutting down the spent stalks of chrysanthemums, in the garden on her husband's ranch.

He claims this customer has asked him to bring her some chrysanthemum seeds if he ever finds some in his travels, and Elisa is happy to oblige.

She invites the man into the yard and prepares a pot of chrysanthemum shoots for the putative woman's garden.

Elisa envies the man's life on the road and is attracted to him because he understands her love of flowers.

She scrubs herself vigorously and examines her naked body in the mirror before putting on her dress and makeup.

[1] When Henry and Elisa drive into town, she sees "a dark speck" ahead on the road.

It turns out the man tossed her chrysanthemum shoots out of his wagon, but kept the pot Elisa had put them in.

Elisa Allen - A thirty-five-year-old woman who lives on a ranch just across the Salinas River with her husband, Henry.

Elisa is described as having a "lean and strong" face and eyes as "clear as water" and when wearing her gardening costume, she looks like she has a blocked and heavy figure.

The Man - A travelling mender who arrives on the road in a wagon that has a canvas painted with the words "Pots, pans, knives, sisors, lawn mores, Fixed."

Chrysanthemum stems are long, strong, and tough which are symbolic of Elisa's masculine qualities.

The contradictory characteristics of chrysanthemums being both strong yet beautiful epitomize how Elisa is atypical of a woman for being both masculine and feminine.

She eventually thinks that things will change, but once she sees the chrysanthemums in the road, she realizes that her hopes have died as well.

"[6] This foreshadows Elisa's situation of being unable to truly please her husband with her gift of raising Chrysanthemums in addition to being unaware of people who may try to deceive her for personal gain.