What is a good thesis for I Stand Here Ironing?
“I Stand Here Ironing” examines the irony in one mother-daughter relationship: When Emily is young and needs her, the narrator is too busy trying to otherwise provide for her, and when the narrator later wants to be closer to her daughter, Emily has learned to survive independently.
What is the theme in I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen?
“I Stand Here Ironing” looks at the themes of women and femininity through the lens of a mother-daughter relationship. Struggling to make ends meet during the Great Depression, the narrator works long hours and is unable to care for her daughter.
What does the ironing board 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.
What is the author’s purpose in I Stand Here Ironing?
The central idea of “I Stand Here Ironing” is the fragility of the mother-daughter relationship within the context of single motherhood. The narrator highlights the central idea through a stream-of-consciousness, first-person narrative.
Does Emily’s mother feel she failed?
So, like many parents, Emily’s mother feels she may have failed to give Emily everything she wanted, but Emily’s independence assures her that Emily got what she needed.
What is Emily’s attitude towards her mother in I Stand Here Ironing?
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 ironing a fitting metaphor for this story?
The opening line of Tillie Olsen’s short story, “I Stand Here Ironing,” is a metaphor for the ambivalence of the mother about her skills as a parent and about the future of her oldest daughter when asked about Emily’s recent behavior.
What does iron symbolize?
Iron, classically known as the Metal of Mars, has been universally perceived as the symbol of human strength, obstinacy, fortitude, honor, courage, sharpness (of body and mind), tenacity, and confidence in power.
What literary techniques are used in I Stand Here Ironing?
These techniques such as style involve the use of metaphors, imagery, alliteration, symbolism and several more. Common techniques applicable to the plot of a story consist of various elements including flashbacks, flashforwards, and foreshadowing specific events.
Why did Emily have to be separated from her mother?
Emily’s mother failed, through no fault of her own, to provide Emily with the bonding, attention, and support babies and children need. They were separated for long periods of time, and Emily finally stopped allowing her mother to comfort her. The mother wasn’t there to tell Emily she was pretty when she…
Why does the mother send Emily away the first time?
Her mother worked for the first six years of Emily’s life; Emily was sent away to live with relatives because her mother could not work and take care of her at the same time; Emily was sent away to a convalescent home where she was deeply unhappy.
How does Olsen reveal a message about motherhood with the text 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.