I Stand Here Ironing Theme

Identity, Femininity, and Motherhood: A Mother’s View on Life Theme is something commonly used in many pieces of literature to convey a deeper meaning. Although there can be multiple themes, they all serve the same purpose and allow the reader to determine an overall meaning for themselves. Three common themes developed in “I Stand Here Ironing,” by Tillie Olsen, are the lifelong search for one’s identity, womanhood and femininity and how it can affect a person, and the inevitable hardships of motherhood. The theme of identity can serve as a way to tell a reader about the certain details of a character. Another theme of womanhood can show the strength and determination of a character. Similarly, the theme of motherhood can detail a character’s
This theme is first introduced in the story as the mother recalls her experience with the hardships of single parenting. The mother recalls her “fierce rigidity of first motherhood” filled with work and not much time left to spend with her young daughter (Olsen 292). She often struggles with balance and leaves her child to grapple with the “numbing loneliness of bad day care, foster homes, and latch key childhoods” (Pratt 132). Not only is single parenting a constant battle, but parenting multiple children also comes with a set of difficulties. The effects of cultural circumstances such as the depression, war, and employment eventually lead the inexperienced parent through “the pattern of parenthood” (Frye 288). Because she is the first of multiple children, Emily often has to act as “a mother, and housekeeper, and shopper” (Olsen 296). Not only does this put a tremendous amount of pressure on a young girl, but it also steals away her childhood and forces her to grow up quickly. A common thread seen in the story is the act of ironing. The story takes place with the mother ironing and recalling many moments of her life and the raising of her children as she performs the monotonous task. Later, it is revealed the mother identifies herself with the iron, moving back and forth day to day, nothing really changing (Hoffman 1845). Although the mother has had an unfulfilling life, she holds out hope that her daughter Emily can be more than “this dress on the ironing board, helpless before the iron” (Olsen 298). The theme of motherhood and, furthermore, the stress that it can impose on someone, is made an important message in the story through the use of examples such as single parenting, parenting multiple children, the first child having to grow up too quickly,