Tillie Olsen - I Stand Here Ironing

Tillie Olsen is a writer who taps into real world scenarios and real life experiences. This story touches the heart of all mothers who have struggled in life especially those of us who have tried to survive as a single parent trying to raise children on our own. During the time frame of when this story was written, women’s rights were somewhat new and gender equality was not in existence with jobs, wages, and labor rights and when a man left his family, he was not held accountable with any financial responsibility to his children. This mother was left with many difficult choices in life and when she is asked to come and talk about her daughter, Emily, who is now 19, she is forced to look back and when she does, she is flooded with guilt and responsibility. As a single mom, she was forced to work hard for less pay as a man would receive, and by doing so, she had to make sacrifices; one being her daughter who for many years suffered and lacked happiness and a place in her world. She was a thin, foreign-looking child, who was behind in academic development. Her mother had to work and when younger, she was in child care places that had evil teachers that Emily hated, but eventually her mother convinced herself that Emily was old enough to finally be left alone, but she really wasn’t. Eventually, her mother remarried and had more children. This is when it became more obvious to her that Emily was different and then the clinic convinced her mother to place her convalescent home. This home wouldn’t allow love or any real contact with family and this is when she got worse and her experience there almost shed Emily of her ability to be close and personal with people. It took her mother 8 months to get her out of that awful place, and it almost seemed the effects were irreversible. However, as Emily grew up, one day while in school she won an amateur show and this changed everything she had been and unveiled the true “Somebody” that she had finally became.
I was glad to see that they finally had victory over their hardships in life. At first this story was sad and depressing. I began to wonder if Emily was set up to just commit suicide or end up as a serial killer. I was very pleased that this story didn’t end up this way. I always love a happy ending and this story definitely had one!