Time and Guilt

Ironing," I interpreted that there was a reflection of

the loss of time and the sense of guilt between a

mother and daughter. This is displayed in the authors

word choice, point of view, imagery and tone.

Olsen begins her narrative while ironing and

talking on the phone. Her daughter needs help, she is

told. So she begins to ask herself a million questions.

She wonders why her daughter needs help, how she can

help her, and what she could have done to prevent her

from straying so far in the first place. As these

questions run through her mind the iron in her hand

moves swiftly back and forth in rhythm, throughout the

entire narrative. Ironing being an act of boredom.

With each movement she has a new thought regarding her

daughter; she questions how she could have raised her

In this essay one senses Emily's resentment toward

her mother. This is because of the way in which she had

been treated, for it is clearly obvious that Emily was

unknowingly denied the love and attention a normal

child would receive. What is odd though is that

throughout the narrative one can feel the love Olsen

. . .
In conclusion, "I

Stand Here Ironing" is about the need for time and the

feeling of guilt a mother has for her daughter. Guilt, although the word is indirectly

used, is sensed every time she speaks of Emily and even

more so in the tone of the essay. On

the outside it looks like a story about a conflict

between mother and daughter, but there are many

interpretations to be pondered. Although, the act was

unintentional, too much time away from one's loved one,

for too long can have a drastic effect on a person;

most especially a child. Could this be true also for Olsen

toward Emily, but in a different text? To Olsen, what

if it means that she can no longer continue to hold

expectations for her daughter? Does that not constitute

for want also?

Maybe that is what the whole story is about. Who could blame her for

not smiling? She had been sent away from her family

during so many key points in her life. Maybe

with a little more love and knowledge their lives would

not be so static. She makes good use of word choice

in describing their life story, informing us of how

being a single parent was hard, and that the war did

not contribute any good either to raising her daughter. First, she had

been sent way when she was a baby in order for her mom

to get back on her feet.

This is suggested continuously throughout the

story when Olsen recounts how she had to send her

daughter away while she worked. When broken down, "want"

suggests that he did not care to share a life of

poverty with them.

Olsen is ironing throughout the story, showing us

how boring their life is moving back and forth in the

same direction. A good example

occurs when Olsen is confronted about her love for her

daughter, and she says, "What was in my face when I

looked at her?" This clearly shows how unaware she is

of her daughter's feelings.

Olsen says her husband "could no longer endure

sharing want" with them (2). In the conclusion, she employs the words

dredging; which means to dig up or search, compounds;

which means to combine or add, and total again, which

in this case means to sum up.

Common topics in this essay:
Stand Ironing, Tillie Olsen, Whatever Emily, Olsen Emily, Tillie Olsen's, word choice, mother daughter, normal life, throughout story, guilt mother daughter, lead normal life, narrative ironing, raising daughter, olsen begins, love olsen, daughter help, expectations daughter,

Approximate Word count = 857
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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