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What you ultimately need is your own original argument that defines Elisa's relationship to the two men in the story, and how you think Steinbeck ultimately wants us to view her and her place in the world. This should take the form of  a sentence or two that firmly declares your position. For example:

Through _________, __________, and __________ Steinbeck shows us that Elisa is _______________.

or

By ____________, Steinbeck shows us that Elisa is ____________.

When you feel comfortable with what Steinbeck is saying about Elisa and how he's saying it, write a statement that argues what he might also be saying in general about women of this time through Elisa's character. 

Make sure you've marked the specific details we are told about Elisa (and other characters, too) and where she lives--look closely at details to see if they help us to define her character. Focus on things like setting, physical descriptions (of characters and things), the characters' actions, and the characters' dialogue. If you see Steinbeck using specific literary devices (metaphor, personification, heavy imagery, etc.) and you think they're important, then make note of those elements, too..

Pay extra special attention to the chrysanthemums. Is there symbolic value to them?