I Stand Here Ironing (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Tillie Olsen
- First Published: 1956
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: About 1950
- Setting: A city in the United States
- Principal Characters: The mother, Emily
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Mothers, Parents and children, Poverty or poor people, Babysitting or babysitters
The Story
The title of the story reveals that the narrator is engaged in a simple, routine household task. While she is ironing, she meditates about a note she has received from a teacher or adviser at the school her daughter, Emily, attends. She feels tormented by the request to come in and talk about Emily, who the writer of the note believes needs help. However, the mother has no intention of going to see the person who wrote the note. “Even if I came, what good would it do?” she asks.
The rest of the story is an interior monologue, reviewing the lives and...
[The entire page is 1624 words long]
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