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Get every literary device explanation for The ChrysanthemumsPlus so much more...
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Foreshadowing
Explanation and Analysis—A Bright Direction:
Elisa leaves the interaction with the tinker somewhat optimistically after he takes an interest in her chrysanthemums. Even though he denigrated her dreams of living a similar life to him and refused her sexual advances, she found some refuge in the fact that he took some flowers, a symbol of her sexuality, femininity, and work ethic. In a passage marked by ironic foreshadowing, she feels satisfied:
Elisa stood in front of her wire fence watching the slow progress of the caravan.... Then she whispered, "That’s a bright direction. There’s a glowing there."
Here, Steinbeck is alerting the reader that the tinker's caravan is leaving something very important in its wake, which will later be revealed to be the discarded chrysanthemums, thrown out of the caravan by the tinker. This is foreshadowing colored by a hint of irony, because while Elisa would like to believe that the caravan (and her interaction with the tinker) is both a sign of her value in a patriarchal society and of her ability to transcend patriarchy entirely, the chrysanthemums on the side of the road shatter this illusion. The tinker's abandonment of the chrysanthemums confirms Elisa's lack of both sexual and personal agency and also of the fact that he had taken advantage of her, deceiving her just to get work.
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