I Stand Here Ironing

“I Stand Here Ironing” written by Tillie Olsen, is a short story that focuses closely on a mother’s struggle to raise her daughter during the Great Depression while balancing motherly duties and sees pasts her mistakes. The family is forced to learn how to come to terms with the hardships and tries to move past them. As the narrator reminisces about her nineteen years old daughter’s childhood throughout the story, she wonders if she had not been so self absorbed, could have her daughter’s life been different. The tone of the story is set in the opening by the narrator having a conversation with someone concerned of the wellbeing of her daughter Emily. Even though “I Stand Here Ironing” is told from the mother’s perspective in first person, I was able to think of my own mother while reading the story and hearing the narrator worry about her daughter and children.
The story opens with the mother being defensive while recalling the difficult times she faced while raising her daughter. While she’s talking to the person who is concerned of Emily’s well being, she says “[she] has lived for nineteen years. There is all that life that has
The narrator reminisces about her daughter’s childhood after someone is concerned about the wellbeing of her daughter. She wonders if she had not been so self absorbed with trying to be a perfect mother, could have her daughter’s life been different. The tone of the story changes from defensive in the beginning to hopeful towards the end once the mother realizes that she has done everything she could possibly do for her daughter. Even though “I Stand Here Ironing” is told from the mother’s perspective in first person, it’s easy to relate to because you are able to notice the struggle the mother tries to overcome and how she tries to provide for her