"The Chrysanthemums" is a story by John Steinbeck. In it, he tells the story of Elisa Allen, who loves to garden. In particular, she loves chrysanthemums.
Elisa is married but seems to be lonely and bored with her life. A stranger arrives (the "tinker") who is looking for work. Although she does not have any work for him to do, she does give him some of her beloved chrysanthemum shoots in a pot. The tinker says he has a customer who wants some.
Elisa gives the tinker a pot filled with shoots and tells the tinker how to care for them. The shoots are very fragile. As Elisa continues to talk to him, she begins to feel an attraction for him. The tinker talks a little about his life and how he travels from place to place. Elisa would like to live as he does, always on the move, but the tinker says it is not a life for women. She tries to explain how strong and capable she is, but he continues to maintain his lifestyle is not for a woman. Soon he leaves.
Elisa watches him drive away. As he goes, she whispers: "That's a bright direction, there's a glowing there." Literally, Elisa means the light glinting off the tinker's wagon. Her words mean more than that, however. The tinker represents freedom, a freedom that Elisa, a woman, can never enjoy. It is noteworthy this light is moving away from her.
And so, Elisa's words indicate a desire for freedom and adventure, two things she will likely never have.
