Free Sample Essays > North American
Who is to Blame for Emily’s Turn-out?
The theme of "I Stand Here Ironing”, by Tillie Olsen, is basically Emily’s mothers’ responsibility for Emily’s upbringing vs. Society’s responsibility – Whose fault is it that Emily has had such a troubled childhood and continues to experience difficulties as an adult, and, what is the point of addressing that now? Since the story comes to us from the mother’s point of view, it is biased. It is almost as if the mother cannot, or will not see what a poor job she has done raising Emily and has an excuse for all of her actions.
To begin with, the mother’s pain and is apparent from the very beginning of the story. Her realization that she could have done a better job, had it not been for the circumstances and life events which occurred following Emily’s birth, such as a father who dealt with his parental responsibility by leaving (paragraph 8, lines 6-7, page 241) is clear. The mother does, however, continually swing back and forth, as the metaphor of "ironing" implies, to invoke pity from the reader and explain that there were others, people, and other factors which played a significant role in the creation of Emily. The mother continually occupies herself with the task of ironing as a way of coping and "smoothing things out” within herself and within the issues surrounding her daughter’s life, while not really dealing with them. The irony in this story is that it begins with a nineteen-year old Emily, the very age of the mother at Emily’s birth. The society changes and different expectations for women are illustrated through the description of Emily as a single college student, gifted, talented, and assertive (paragraphs 50-53, pages 245-246) , while her mom was a product of the 1930s. Since Emily’s mother didn’t fit the stereotypical mold, life was especially tough for her. After all, being an unmarried working mom was not a popular or desired lifestyle choice.
While Emily has the advantage of a contemporary upbringing, she is still vulnerable and fearful as an adult, from being a lonely, sick and unpopular child (paragraphs 36-40, page 244). She, like her mother, seems to have a pessimistic outlook on life and the future (paragraph 33, page 244) (paragraph 53, page 246). In many ways, the mother had control over Emily’s destiny, which she seemed to desert. For example, she didn’t have to bear additional children (Susan and Ronnie, plus two more), knowing she was struggling with Emily, emotionally, physically and financially. It seems as though she did not even give her new marriage time to develop before there were new babies and responsibilities heaped upon her (lines 18-19, page 242). Instead of considering Emily’s needs, and her own, she seemed to approach life ignorantly, simply succumbing to her usual way of life in a non-caring manner. Emily is also left alone at night as a young child, by both her mom and her stepfather. The story is not clear on the reason for this, but it looks like [next page]