I Stand Here Ironing: Story Analysis
I Stand Here Ironing
Tillie Olsen’s short story, “I Stand here Ironing”, records the critical thoughts of a mother, as she reflects on her daughter’s life. Although the mother in the story feels disappointing and deficient because she feels as though she has not done much good in her life, the author is very empathetic toward her as you can see in the author’s narrative techniques and other resources of language. After hearing of another person’s concern for her daughter, the mother analyzes the causes of her 19 year old daughter’s present problems and defends her daughter and her own mothering. Olsen’s use of narrative techniques and choice of details and diction allow the reader to see the empathy in the author’s tone throughout the story.
The first few words of the story, I stand here ironing, establishes the mother’s position and narrator role. The mother then questions and defends her inability. She continuously addresses the well-intentioned, but misunderstanding “you” which can tend to show some sort of irritation for her own short comings in life. A stream of consciousness effect now follows as the mother recollects on her daughter’s beauty as a baby and the breast-feeding techniques she followed as the books said. However, she reverts to addressing the “you” again as she questions her own mothering techniques.
Although she feels guilt and regret, the mother defiantly defends her necessity to work and leave the baby behind with a woman who didn’t see her as a “miracle” at all. The 19 year old working mother is defended by the mother remembering herself as she remembers the poverty problems and single-parent struggles she had to go through. The narrator-mother’s thoughts then leave the past and center on a recent dialogue between her and her daughter, which is loosely organized to show the feeling of remembering.
The last two paragraphs are the mother’s insightful analyses of her own faults and
limitations,
Tillie Olsen’s short story, “I Stand here Ironing”, records the critical thoughts of a mother, as she reflects on her daughter’s life. Although the mother in the story feels disappointing and deficient because she feels as though she has not done much good in her life, the author is very empathetic toward her as you can see in the author’s narrative techniques and other resources of language. After hearing of another person’s concern for her daughter, the mother analyzes the causes of her 19 year old daughter’s present problems and defends her daughter and her own mothering. Olsen’s use of narrative techniques and choice of details and diction allow the reader to see the empathy in the author’s tone throughout the story.
The first few words of the story, I stand here ironing, establishes the mother’s position and narrator role. The mother then questions and defends her inability. She continuously addresses the well-intentioned, but misunderstanding “you” which can tend to show some sort of irritation for her own short comings in life. A stream of consciousness effect now follows as the mother recollects on her daughter’s beauty as a baby and the breast-feeding techniques she followed as the books said. However, she reverts to addressing the “you” again as she questions her own mothering techniques.
Although she feels guilt and regret, the mother defiantly defends her necessity to work and leave the baby behind with a woman who didn’t see her as a “miracle” at all. The 19 year old working mother is defended by the mother remembering herself as she remembers the poverty problems and single-parent struggles she had to go through. The narrator-mother’s thoughts then leave the past and center on a recent dialogue between her and her daughter, which is loosely organized to show the feeling of remembering.
The last two paragraphs are the mother’s insightful analyses of her own faults and
limitations,