"Assignment #4--Criticism."

"The Chrysanthemums" focuses on gender criticism. Henry Allen has a ranch with a garden in it, which his wife, Elisa Allen, spends most of her time on. He ignores her most of the time, thus leading her to think of the flowers in the garden as her children. She puts a lot of time and effort in them, leading her husband to telling her she has a gift with things. Although he doesn't pay much attention to her, he stills acknowledges her work and congratulates her. His actions lead her to meet new people. A man on a wagon came by the ranch to buy a few things. Elisa always had her gardening gloves on, but this time she took them off. That's a symbol of her wanting to meet new people, seeing her husband denigrates her. She and the man seem to flirt a little. The man seemed to have left a good impression, making Elisa stand in front of her fence, watching him leave and uttering a few words. She snaps out of it, making sure no one is around listening to what she had said. This shows her interest in him because he makes her feel good about herself. Her husband doesn't do that, leading her to explore new things.