How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
The laughter had disappeared from his face and eyes the moment his laughing voice ceased. (33)
Here's a rather shocking transition. A charming, amiable stranger turns dark and brooding as he lets his forced laughter die away. He's clearly not what he seems.
Quote #2
"Oh, no," she said quickly. "Nothing like that." Her eyes hardened with resistance. (43)
This small transformation in Elisa introduces a stubbornness we haven't seen before. And it marks a change in her relationship with the tinker, which, though brief, has been totally friendly so far.
Quote #3
"What's them plants, ma'am?"
The irritation and resistance melted from Elisa's face. (50-51)
Here's another small change Elisa undergoes as she talks to the tinker. Their relationship certainly has its ups and downs. Why do you think it's so volatile?
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?
Quote #7
At the back of the house she dug in the can pile and found two old and battered aluminum sauce pans. […]
His manner changed. He became professional. "Good as new I can fix them." (78-79)
Compare this change in behavior on the part of the tinker with the earlier change he undergoes as he lets his laughter die. Once again, we're not quite sure where Elisa stands with him. Is their encounter just business as usual for him? Are his emotions genuine? Or is the tinker just using them to manipulate Elisa?
Quote #8
And then she scrubbed herself with a little block of pumice, legs and thighs, loins and chest and arms, until her skin was scratched and red. When she had dried herself she stood in front of a mirror in her bedroom and looked at her body. She tightened her stomach and threw out her chest. She turned and looked over her shoulder at her back. (93)
Just after this moment, Elisa undergoes the radical physical transformation from messy, dirt-covered gardener, to a prim and pretty woman. But Shmoop is more interested in the effect of this moment, when she chooses to pause and stare at herself in the mirror? What do you imagine she's thinking and feeling as she scrubs herself, and then regards herself in the mirror?
Quote #9
"Why—why, Elisa. You look so nice!"
[…]
Henry blundered on. "I don't know. I mean you look different, strong and happy." (99-101)
Maybe Henry's positive reaction means that the physical change Elisa has undergone after bathing and dressing was for the better. On the other hand, it could be that Henry is talking more about Elisa's demeanor than her physical appearance.
Quote #10
"Now you've changed again," Henry complained. He took one hand from the wheel and patted her knee. "I ought to take you in to dinner oftener. It would be good for both of us. (113)
Not knowing about Elisa's encounter with the tinker, Henry has no idea what's just happened to Elisa. And he can hardly be blamed for thinking the change in her is due to date night. Another thing to note here: it's the first physical contact between husband and wife, and it's not exactly charged with passion and romance.