Motherhood In Tillie Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing

hinting at the superficiality of society by including “replica” as one of the descriptors (7-9). Despite being told entirely in the eyes of the mother, the story is extremely tangible, especially in maintaining the dynamic relationship between two genuine characters in a time of hardship and daily chaos. Not only does Olsen’s attentive diction keep her readers attuned, but the use of both visual, kinesthetic, and organic imagery also work to develop the epitome of motherhood. The imagery that Olsen chooses to produce is simple, yet profound, starting with Emily’s physical and emotional well-being. “She ate little. Food sickened her, and I think much of life too” (4). Emily’s weight loss, coupled with her refusal to eat, illustrates a cold

Olsen’s portrayal of this task—one of endless responsibilities that have burdened the narrator—represents a realistic image of motherhood. The symbol of the iron itself, metal and heavy,

As such, cartoonist Michael Leunig once exclaimed that "The work of an artist is to express what is repressed or even to speak the unspoken grief of society (Leunig 1). Precisely, Olsen's sophisticated narrative style anchors her efforts neither to belittle literally nor sentimentalize motherhood, but manifests instead the unfamiliar experience to which most other people are oblivious. Consequently, as the protagonist performs the isolating household task of ironing, the story breaks free from its fictional boundaries, as Olsen strives to paint a picture of the lives of suppressed females, of the poor, of the working class, and of historically invisible people. Obviously, touched by childbirth, abandonment, poverty, and insecurity, these people are only able to offer but a limited measure and, in turn, hope that their children will circumvent the very same