Answer: Throughout the story, Elisa suffers a regression from the masculine role she sees as equality to the feminine role she sees as submissive. Her frustration with the male-dominated society causes her to let go of her dreams for liberation and to become what society expects her to be--a passive woman. Steinbeck portrays women according to his time period. Elisa represents women of the 1930's; she has become "the representative of the feminine ideal of equality and its inevitable defeat". So Elisa shaped the role of women today. Without her role in society all us ladies may still be playing "housekeeper" in a sense. It also shows how hard it was for the view of women to change. Throughout history, not just with this story, you can see the struggles and unfairness that was portrayed towards those who wanted to make a difference. In a way, Elisa was frowned upon. Despite that, she kept pushing and thats very vital to making a change. I hope this helps.
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