i stand here ironing
The short story "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olson, can be interpreted in a variety of different ways, depending upon how the story is analyzed, and which perspective is being taken. This story has many turns and angles which can be explored. To find a true meaning in this story is almost unprecedented, and it is a very confrontational form of literature. From a psychological perspective, this story was based on the emotional pull a mother has to one of her children and how the feelings of emotion race wild with every moment and situation in that child's life. Most psychologists would agree that what has occurred in someone's past, or childhood, can have an astounding effect on how they react to certain situations as an adult. This type of analysis can be used to understand why the narrator (Emily's mother) feels the way she does about Emily's upbringing and her potential. The fact that her mother, the narrator, felt so attached to her daughter, Emily, makes me feel that the two had some sort of connection within each of their respected childhoods. It almost appears as if the narrator wants us to feel that connection by expressing her emotions so vividly and with such animation that you are
This story is based around the hardships of a woman growing up in the early nineteen hundreds. The prominent theme seems to be not only oppression of women, but survival also. " The iron represents men, how they have control over the garment being ironed - their role in society as the oppressors, and women - their role as the oppressed. It also symbolizes the responsibility of the woman - if the man leaves, the woman is stuck dealing with all of the "wrinkles," because that is what she is supposed to do. She talks about how Emily will not survive, and if she does not believe in future presence, in beginnings latent in her own life, everything is lost. " It's almost like a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. every little girl was supposed to look or thought she should look a chubby blonde replica of Shirley Temple. Children see their parents from a high balcony; they are allowed no personal belongings (not even letters); the poor food makes them lose weight. A psychologist might also examine Emily's childhood to try and understand what affect it has on her today, and why she needs the help that she does. She speaks of the iron, and how it tends to pull the daughter and her mother apart. The narrator points out with the distinction of the iron, that maybe it showed how her mother was in the same situation as she is now, and that the feelings that she felt too at that point in her life are being expressed. The attitude is one of acceptance - of lowered expectations rather than of militancy and rebellion. " Emily always had a reason to stay home.
Common topics in this essay:
Tillie Olson,
Shirley Temple,
Emily Emily,
Helpless Iron,
little girl supposed,
women's roles,
short story,
little girl,
helpless iron,
women role,
shirley temple,
slow learner,
childhood feels,
story based,
perspective story,
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Acceptance Essays
