The Exploitation of the Naive
Life is filled with challenges and obstacles that test a person’s strength and judgment. Situations arise where people must decide whether or not they could be harmed by their decisions. The people who are often hurt are the ones who are too naive to distinguish the ulterior motives of others. They assume the best in people, only to realize afterward that they have been exploited. “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck reflects this idea. Because of the protagonist’s (Elisa) naivety, she fails to see the antagonist’s (the tinker) true intent. This leads her to feel heartbroken and alone.
The protagonist, Elisa, is deceived by a traveling tinker. She believes the tinker has a genuine interest in her prized chrysanthemums and becomes excited by the prospect. However, the tinker shows interest purely to…show more content… In the beginning, the tinker pesters Elisa to allow him to mend her utensils. By repairing utensils, the tinker can receive payment: “I mend pots and sharpen knives and scissors. You got any of them things to do? ‘Oh, no...Nothing like that.’ Her eyes hardened with resistance” (4). This shows Elisa’s unwavering attitude towards the tinker’s plea for an item to mend. When the tinker realizes his efforts to persuade Elisa are failing, he shifts the subject of the conversation to Elisa’s chrysanthemums: “Look, I know a lady down the road a piece, has got the nicest garden you ever seen. Got nearly every kind of flower but no chrysanthemums… ‘If you ever run acrost some nice chrysanthemums I wish you’d try to get me a few seeds...I s’pose I can’t take none to her, then’” (5). This reveals that the tinker takes an interest in Elisa and her hobby, hoping that Elisa will soften to the idea of supplying the tinker with a job. Elisa is naive and believes the tinker has an actual interest in her
