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…showed last 75 words of 970 total…makeup. One can almost see a flower blooming and opening petal by petal as one reads about Elisa preparing for the evening. John Steinbeck did an incredible job of using chrysanthemums to symbolize Elisa Allen. He parallels the main character and the flowers in that they are both soft with a rough exterior, both have a beauty unique of their own; and Mrs. Allen and the chrysanthemums need to be nourished and pampered to bloom.