From a high level, “The Chrysanthemums," by John Steinbeck is a story of the trials and tribulations an individual faces in a relationship. The tale focuses on themes such as physical and emotional isolation, to the dissatisfaction of life experiences. Whether being taken for granted by a loved one or secluded from the outside world, we had all experienced some sort of displeasure at one point in our lives. As I finished the final sentence in “The Chrysanthemums," I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and leaned back into my office chair. The story was a reenactment of my previous relationship. The piece brought back painful memories, as I had recently exited a marriage. I understood what Elisa underwent. What it was like to be in a monotonous marriage and taken for granted After Elisa realizes the tinker has dumped the flowers onto the road, she says loudly, “It will be a good, tonight, a good dinner” (Steinbeck 236). At this moment, I recall a lesson from a Psychology course. I vaguely remember the topic, but the message was clear. “Happiness is a state of being,” meaning, This means that in all unfortunate circumstances, focus on the positive or fabricate one. So, Elisa shifted her emotions away from the tinker she had given herself to, to her marriage. From what I understand, the secret to happiness is to be delusional or irrational. During my ordeal, I followed a similar thought process. Through all the treachery and deception, I disillusioned myself with a false sense of hope. Hoping it will be all good. As soon as Steinbeck establishes the setting with “The high gray-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world” (Steinbeck 228), I am immediately relieving horse and farmland capital of the world. Ocala, Florida is seventy miles away from the nearest modern city and the closest establishment of culture is Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing. There is one shoppi