I Stand Here Ironing

I Stand Here Ironing was a very moving story to me. I sympathize with the character of Emily who lived a rocky childhood, experiencing abandonment issues, low self esteem, and a severe illness. Emily was depicted as a forgotten child, who was sent to numerous different cares. She was rejected in both home and school environments, having few friends but also by her mother. At first, I couldn't help but blame  Emily's mother for dealing with Emily's situations in an almost selfish manner, by ignoring her needs and sending her off to different homes constantly. But then I started to examine her  mother's life and felt even worse for the mother than I did for Emily.
Her mother was outnumbered by a large household of children, where she had no assistance financially, and a husband who ran out on her. She was a young women with four children , living in the era of a World War . Through her mother's conversation with an unidentified individual on the phone, she reflects on Emily's childhood through an honest tone, feeling guilt and pain for her inability to fulfill the image of a a good mother to Emily. Instead, she drowns in her sorrow for the events in her life that she had not control over, and has to face a sad acceptance of what has been done and cannot be undone. The mother symbolizes the honest image of motherhood, society illustrates motherhood as a self discovery path for women that they should embrace, but in reality motherhood is a constant obstacle course that strains women's lives overwhelming them with responsibility where they loose their self identity.