Meagan Ellis
them is not indicative of the tinker’s physical attractiveness. On the contrary, he is described as large and besmirched with grease. References to his size and his repeated connection to the color black create an atmosphere of intimidation. For example, “his worn black suit” (4), “his eyes were dark” (5), “The calloused hands he rested on the wire fence were cracked, and every crack was a black line” (5) add to the dark imagery that surrounds him. If anything, she should be repulsed by him. Instead, she soaks in every detail of him and romanticizes what should repel her: “Elisa saw that he was a very big man… His eyes were dark, and they were full of the brooding that gets in the eyes of teamsters and of sailors” (5). One should keep in mind that Elisa’s husband is not described with any specific detail at any point in the story, but Steinbeck depicts Elisa as running her eyes over the tinker as if with a fine-toothed comb. Abbott describes a similar scenario and suggests how someone describes another in such intimate detail can say more about the observer themselves: “… focalizing can contribute richly to how we think and feel as we read. Just as we pick up various intensities of thought and feeling from the voice that we hear, so also do we pick up thought and feeling from the eyes that we see through” (Abbott 74). The tinker and his nomadic lifestyle are dangerously captivating to Elisa as we can plainly see through her intense gaze. Their exchange on the proper maintenance of scissors takes on a phallic tone as Elisa defends her agency: “‘Scissors is the worst thing,’ he explained. ‘Most people just ruin scissors trying to sharpen’ em, but I know how. I got a special tool. It’s a little bobbit kind of thing, and patented. But it sure does the trick.’ [Elisa said,] ‘No. My scissors are all sharp’” (5). Elisa’s irritation at having her agency doubted is also evident through her facial expressions which render explicit description of her thoughts unnecessary: “Her eyes hardened with resistance” (5). Realizing that he is quickly losing an opportunity to make money, he makes notice of and compliments her chrysanthemums, her one source of agency, which immediately elicits the desired effect: “The irritation and resistance melted from Elisa’s face” (6). Noting this reaction, the tinker realizes
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