illustrated profile of a woman's head with cracks running through it set against a chrysanthemum background

The Chrysanthemums

by John Steinbeck
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In a sentence, try to state the short story's theme

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The Chrysanthemums is a story of limitations and expectations, with the main character, Elisa, going though a range of emotions as she thinks about what kind of life she could have had in a different world or if she had made different choices.

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