What is the main idea of I Stand Here Ironing?

In “I Stand Here Ironing,” Olsen suggests that the role of selfless mother that society expects women to embrace is actually an obstacle to any kind of successful self-discovery. Rather than help women achieve self-actualization, motherhood actually strands women in lives laden with toil and excessive responsibility.

What conclusion does the mother come to in I Stand Here Ironing?

The narrator concludes that she will “never total it all” but hopes that even if Emily does not live up to her full potential, she will still have a richer and happier life than her mother has had. Sheldon-Dean, Hannah. “I Stand Here Ironing Plot Summary.” LitCharts.

What is the plot of the story structured in I Stand Here Ironing?

Plot introduction It is one of Olsen’s most anthologized works. The story is about guilt — guilt that will be developed during the narration of the whole story. The mother is standing there ironing and within the next 30 minutes she will recall the whole trip of her and her daughter’s life.

What is the ending of I Stand Here Ironing?

The end of the story suggests that Emily has gotten her wish. The story ends with a response to the teacher that sounds like a prayer: “Let her be.” The last paragraph’s opening has a biblical echo of “let it be” (or an echo of the Beatles song, depending on your frame of reference).

Why does Emily’s mother seem to regret how she has raised her daughter?

She seems to regret much about how her first daughter was raised and feels that, as a result of her shortcomings as a mother, “all that is in [Emily] will not bloom.” Readers have had varying reactions to the narrator’s final resolution about her daughter—to “let her be.” While some see passive resignation in this …

What is Emily’s attitude towards her mother?

She’s generally quiet, and if she does want to express something, like her desire to see her mother, she does so indirectly. To others, she is virtually invisible: she doesn’t have the beauty or the charismatic personality that might attract attention.

Why is Emily separated from her family in I Stand Here Ironing?

Emily’s father had left unexpectedly, unable to bear the family’s poverty. The narrator recalls running home from work to retrieve Emily, who always cried when she spotted her. Eventually, the narrator sent Emily to live with her father’s family.

What caused her to think about her daughter in I Stand Here Ironing?

She is prompted to think about her daughter by someone’s request (presumably a teacher’s) to discuss ways to help her. The narrator goes back nineteen years, to the time when her daughter was born. The narrator herself was nineteen at the time, trying to get by during the Great Depression.

What does the iron represent in I Stand Here Ironing?

The Iron. The iron represents the chores and responsibilities that prevented the narrator from engaging with Emily’s life more profoundly. As the story’s title suggests, the narrator is constantly embroiled in the duties she must perform to effectively care for her family.

Who is the narrator speaking to in the story I Stand Here Ironing?

The unnamed narrator, a mother, is ironing while speaking on the phone with an unnamed individual who is most likely a social worker, teacher, or counselor. The mother likens the back-and-forth motion of the iron to her own mental process as she considers the cautionary statement made by this outside party.

How did Miss Emily’s father treat her?

Throughout her life, Emily’s father was extremely overprotective. He drove all her potential suitors away because he did not feel like anyone was good enough for his little girl.

Why did Emily keep her father’s body?

She sought to find a replacement for her father and was attracted to the authoritarian character in the men that she loved and this may have been the reason why she kept their bodies around after their deaths to maintain the same environment to which she had been accustomed and to alleviate the feeling of loneliness.