I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen - Essay Example

The story is told in the point of view of Emily’s mother where she narrates the obstacles she is facing especially with her eldest daughter Emily. Emily is a nineteen year old girl who came from a humble family with four other siblings. She exudes an anti-social and depressed behavior in the house and in school. Though her mother believes that a lot about her personality could be attributed to the failings of a fallen society that is full of poverty and hopelessness which is a totally unpleasant environment in building a foundation in growing children, most of the blame is directed on the mother (Olsen, T., n.d.).The narrator could not deny the emotional disconnection she has of her daughter.

Because she wanted to bridge a better relationship with Emily, she decided to talk to Emily’s teacher to help her deal with her daughter’s issues. This strongly welcomes one of the protagonist in the story which highlights the bitter realities of life wherein being a mother is a role one has to keep up with not only in supporting a child in its early years of development but also in their every journey that molds them to be a certain kind of citizen in society in the future. However, the reality is that though Emily is only her mother’s daughter and not anyone else’s family, teachers, friends, and other people that surround Emily including the kind of economic and environmental conditions she is born into equally failed Emily that caused her depression and anti-social behavior.

Another evident failure that led to Emily’s depression and anti-sociability would be the fact that the narrator was persuaded by doctors to send Emily to a convalescent school that she believed would make her daughter better. However, instead of Emily being treated, the school discouraged students from showing any affection towards classmates and even family which was a result of the unsuccessful revolution that caused a universal apathy (Olsen, T., n.d.). This strongly impressed on Emily to be hopeless on people and not realize the importance of establishing relationships.

Another significant part of the story would be the sacrifices that Emily’s mother had to do just to give her a good life and to deserve to be called a good mother that people outside their mother-daughter relationship would have a blind eye to. One of which would be the fact that Emily’s mother had to leave Emily to someone else’s care at certain times of the day to be able to look for a living (Olsen, T., n.d.). A lot of people would immediately get into the conclusion of neglect but the bigger truth that lies behind it would be a mother who instinctively wants to provide for her children even without a husband who would be her helping hand in doing so.

On the other hand, despite all the sacrifices a mother would be willing to give her family despite the almost impossible living conditions, a mother does not know when and how to give up. And yet, the