I stand here ironing

The theme of this story is that motherhood can be tough at times, but it will all work out for the children. This short story describes the life of a girl named Emily through the voice of her mother, the narrator. How old was the narrator when she had Emily? Why is the girl’s story told through the mother? Do you know of someone who was in the same situation as Emily?

I Stand Here Ironing is an intriguing story. Personally, I thought overall it was good and its style was something new. Definitely this was better than the last story we read. The syntax and word choice displayed in this writing were appropriate and fit well with each other. As for characterization of Emily and her mother, there are definite distinctions. Her mother is presented through direct contact and Emily is an indirect presentation. Emily is a dynamic character that is developing throughout the entire story. Her mother is sort of a stock character to me. There are many stories you can look at and recognize her, the young mother that is poor and can not care for her child.

Overall Olsen organized herself and put her thoughts into a decent short story. The play on the iron board at the end was a good choice. However, there are many stories in the world that deal with struggle single mothers and their children (I’m not saying they are bad). I think if she had put the same energy into a different theme, she might have made a more inviting story.