I Stand Here Ironing, an Analysis Essay

Miss Emily's relationship with her father is a key factor in the development of her isolation. As she is growing up, he will not let anybody around his daughter,

Although the mother may have been trying to help Emily, the mother should have tried to take care of Emily better instead of sending her off as the only solution. One of the other effects of her mother’s unavoidable neglect is Emily’s failure to be on the same pace as her peers in class. She is at a state of illiteracy that is uncommon for her age at the time which may be a result from staying at home instead of going to class to take care of the household. In addition to the mother’s neglect, having a sister who was the ideal poster child may have caused self confidence problems as she grew older being the odd one out in the family. Emily’s mother should have made sure she was able to take care of Emily first before deciding to give birth to another child. What the mother thought would be the best option for Emily had a more clear negative effect on Emily after she grew older still not having any clear direction in her life.

Emily experienced many hardships in her early childhood. Emily spent a good portion of her day and even years in the presence of people who were not her mother. These people were harsh and did not appreciate Emily as her mother did (McMichael 1847). There were even times when Emily would come up with stories so that she would not have to go to nursery school where the children and students were mean (McMichael 1847). Some of these years were spent away from her mother. The clinic, that was advised for little Emily to attend, was one of these places spend away from home. The clinic where “‘They don’t like you to love anybody here’” (McMichael 1849). All of the places Emily was placed in so that her mother could make it, the sitters

The very beinning of the story is extraordinary. It begins with the burial of Emily, the residents around her coffin did not feel anything, most of them were curious. There were neither friends nor relatives, nobody who was in mouring for her, only inquirers. The readers can ask, what kind of person was Miss Emily? Why the others did not feel sadness? Perhaps there is a bigger question: what was the reason that nobody went to her house more than ten years (except her slave, Tobe).

In the book, Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson, the main character, Emily, changes greatly from who she was before she began the list, to who she was after. During flashbacks, we see glimpses of who Emily was, which was rather disappointing. To show this, Emily says, “‘Yes,’ I said immediately. This was my identity at school, but I never minded it- and now, I’d never been so happy to be recognised this way.”

When we look at the character of Emily, we discover a women who had been sheltered most of her life. She never had a real sense of reality due to her father, and the previous mayor

     Emotional support also plays an important role of Emily’s well being. The idea mother suppose to care, support, and value their children needs. Emily needed this nourishment. She needed her mother to smile at her in order for her to feel a connection with the person that she supposed to be able to depend on. Emily’s mother did not know how to communicate with Emily. The mother-daughter relationship has an element of coldness, it lacks warmth. “There were years she did not want me to touch her” (Olsen 262). Emily’s mother inability to interact with her, leaves Emily unloved and in return, she shall not express any love toward her mother. Emily’s mother feels her “wisdom came too late” (Olsen 262). With this thought in mind, Emily’s mother shall never show communication or love to Emily, therefore the relationship shall continue to be doomed.

Kim Edwards illustrates he the acceptance and care for individuals with mental or physical disabilities is huge theme in this novel, because having kept Phoebe, comprehending the serious lack of acceptance that the world has for individuals with has made Caroline more protective. Caroline and Ron Stone are debating against the Board of Education. A member from the Board of Education talking about how they simply do not have the resources to give children with disabilities a chance and Caroline retorted frustratingly. “ It takes her more time, it’s true, to master new things. But she has learned to do everything that any other child learns to do...”

Wake up, go to school, come home, eat, do homework, sleep. Wake up, go to school, come home, eat, do homework, sleep. Wake up, go to school, come home, eat, do homework, sleep. This is the life of a teenager. They do the same things over and over again barley having enough time to interact with their family and friends. This schedule alters slightly as one gets older, but for the most part everything stays the same. Each day a repeat of the day before. In the short story “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen, the narrator begins with a the simple task of ironing and all throughout the story she continues to iron. For the narrator every day is the same. A day filled with chores and work and more chores and no time to spend loving her

The last thing that played a major factor in determining the mood of this story was all the different stereotypes weaved into the story-line. One stereotype was that the mother was the typical “young mother”, always listening to exactly what the books say. “Though her cries battered me to trembling and my breast ached with swollenness, I waited till the clock decreed” (Olsen 210). When the mother was with the other children, she waited until she thought it was long enough, not just going by the book. She also let other people talk her into making bad decisions for Emily. “They persuaded me at the clinic to send her away to a convalescent home in the country” (Olsen 212). Also, as the family grew, Emily had to help more and more. “I was working, there were four smaller ones now, there was not time for her. She had to help be a mother, and housekeeper, and shopper” (Olsen 214). As the mother had more children, she grew wiser. “She kept too much in herself; her life has been such she had to keep too much in herself. My wisdom came too late” (Olsen 215). As for Emily, she was the complete opposite of the stereotype that all girls at that time should be “a chubby blonde replica of Shirley Temple” (Olsen 213). The mother never comforted her about this and wished that she had. This is how stereotypes influenced the mood of the story.

reluctance to admit her father’s death. When he dies, she refuses to let anyone remove his body from their house. It’s as if she feels she needs his comforting and protection.

Emily has few friends. She reports that her closest friend is all the way in Michigan. She is in LA, that’s the same as having no friend at all because she can’t be there when she needs her. She hasn’t had a relationship with a man in 10 years and in the past has dated alcoholic men who treat her poorly. She doesn’t think that she deserves anything good because her mother was always telling her that she was not good enough to do anything. She has feelings of worthlessness. She feels that she is not able to move forward and tends to sabotage anything good that comes her way. She doesn’t have any children, but she is a substitute teacher, which might mean that she probably would have wanted to have children. Emily said that she had learned to be invisible. Emily is a lonely woman.

This exquisite author that goes by the name of Tillie Olsen which she had written the story "I Stand Here Ironing"at the time to show what she went through. The narrator, is having the audience do some thinking, especially on what historical time period it took place in. This short story that the time period took place in was during The Great Depression and World War II. The narrator of the story has mentioned to the audience how true the hardships that many women had endured during this historical time. The audience is having different types of ideas on what could be the conflict, but as the reader of this piece of fiction, it shows so many different themes that have to do with The Great Depression era. Therefore, during this historical

“I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen, is an example of mother daughter struggle. I have read this story more than twice. I think in this story a mother reflects her memories, when she was requested by a teacher or social worker to discuss the way to help her daughter while she was ironing. The narrator goes back nineteen years, to the time when her daughter, Emily was born. It was the time of depression due to World War II. The mother initially has rough life, when her husband left them. Due to the job, she often sent her daughter away which caused the distant between mother and daughter. As Emily grow older, the mother felt guilty for the way Emily was grew. I think in this story the constant motion of iron is like sedative to mother because

The story begins with a sentence “I stand here ironing, and what you asked me moves tormented back and forth with the iron” (Olsen 73). It is unusual that the story starts with a description of the mother ironing. This strategy easily draws readers’ attention and introduces the narrator character to the readers.