After the stranger leaves, Elisa puts on her prettiest dress and admires herself.
Elisa tears off her dirty gardening clothes, scrubs her skin clean ising a block of pumice, and then she looks and admires her newly cleaned body in the mirror. Later on, She dresses in a dress that represents the "symbol of her prettiness" and put on makeup.
John Steinbeck's short story called "The Chrysanthemums" deals with a proud, strong woman called Elisa Allen who feels frustrated with her present life.