"I Stand Here Ironing" was a heart touching story. I felt sympathy for Emily's mother, and for Emily herself. I could relate so much with Emily's mother because, my mother is a single mother herself, and I could imagine how much work and love she put into her daughters well-being. At the beginning I didn't quite get why her daughter was having so many problems, why she was sent to facilities and why she was always depressed, but towards the end I understood she has all these issues because she has some sort of disorder. If I misunderstood then I do not find an explanation to so much trouble with Emily. The story is a good example of women that have to become both mother and father in order for their families to survive. I would of liked the author to include why Emily's father left the family and I would of also wanted to know whether he helped at all in some way.
My favorite part of the story was her last phrase "Only help her to know-help make it so there is cause for her to know- that she is more than this dress on the ironing board, helpless before the iron.", because in this phrase you can feel how badly her mother wants her to understand she wants the best for her and that she needs to understand there is more to life, even with all her struggles she needs to go on with whats left.
Review what the mother says about first sending Emily to live with the father's family. Why must she send her away? What is the reason for the mother sending Emily to the convalescence home? In what time period is the story set- look at clues such as the mother saying "It was the pre-relief, pre-WPA world of the depression"(Olsen 2); "...War years" (Olsen 10); and Emily stating "we'll all be atom-dead"(Olsen 11). Yes, that concluding paragraph is powerful. When the mother says "she[Emily] is more then this dress...", she is comparing Emily to the dress (Olsen 11). What literary device is being used here?
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