How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #4
Elisa's eyes grew alert and eager. (59)
Once again, talk of chrysanthemums makes Elisa light up. In this case, the transformation is emphasized in her eyes, which happens elsewhere in the story. See if you can find some of those places.
Quote #5
"[The chrysanthemums will] grow right up again. About the last of September the buds will start."
She stopped and seemed perplexed. "It's the budding that takes the most care," she said hesitantly. (68-69)
What's changed here? Well, Elisa was on a roll as she explains to the tinker how to care for the chrysanthemums. But when she gets to this point, the tone of the conversation shifts. It becomes more intimate and more charged. It marks both a change in Elisa, and a change in her relationship with the tinker.
Quote #6
He said, "[The night is] nice, just like you say. Only when you don't have no dinner, it ain't."
She stood up then, very straight, and her face was ashamed. (76-77)
In her conversation with the tinker, Elisa's gone from flirty to cold to eager to passionate, and now she's ashamed. But why, exactly? Is she ashamed that she didn't give the tinker work to do in the first place, since he clearly needs it? Or is she ashamed because she just almost touched him, and regrets her impulsive decision?