The Use Of Doubles In Tillie Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing
Tillie Olsen uses doubling in “I Stand Here Ironing” to symbolize the fear that the narrator expresses for her eldest daughter Emily. The narrator fears that her life is being reflected in her daughter. She does not want her daughter to grow up the way she did. They are at odds with each other throughout the story. Emily needs help and her mother is not in the right place to give her that help. The use of doubles in this story reflects the lives of Emily and the narrator to show how similar they actually are.
In this story, the narrator is expressing her concerns for Emily’s future to an unnamed individual. The narrator was only 19 years old when she had her first child. Emily is now 19 (Olsen 223, 224). The teenage years are an important time for growth and independence into young adulthood. During the depression, Emily’s mother was struggling to care for herself and her baby. Based on the conversation at the beginning of the story between the narrator and the unnamed individual, Emily seems to be heading down a similar path of
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Raising children is not easy and making sure that every child has exactly what they need to be happy and healthy can be a challenge. Living as a child of a single mother is not easy either. The narrator and Emily in Tillie Olsen’s “I Stand Here Ironing” are both flawed. Each has lived a life of hardships and fought through feelings of inadequacy. Each is working towards making a better life for themselves. While the narrator feels regret for not being able to raise her daughter right, she understands that mistakes will be made and her children can still grow up to be okay in the world. While Emily learns from her past and works towards a new future, it is important to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect child. In realizing that the narrator and Emily are very similar in their personalities as well as their young adult struggles, it is important to lean on family members for support in times of
Examples Of Emily's Mental Deterioration
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Similarities Between Louis Mallard And Emily Grierson
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Rose For Emily Symbolism
712 Words | 3 PagesIn like manner, another form of symbolism in this short story is that of the moral representation of death for Emily which parallels to the existence of the old south. Foreshadowing that the south had been defeated in the Civil War, Emily 's life ends the same way, contrasting against the loss of her father. As a result of her father running out the many men that came to court her, there is no other male authority left in her life that will take care of her. Leaving Emily to grow as one with her decaying house. Emily basically lives through the interpretation of others while meaning nothing to herself.
Sex Discrimination In Thornton Wilder's Our Town
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Comparing The Raven And I Stand Here Ironing
532 Words | 3 PagesIn the story both the mother and Emily had many difficult events in their life. Although they have had tough memories their change in identity was more positive. In “I Stand Here Ironing” the mother and Emily have had difficult times in their life but their identity had a positive outcome. In the text it states “ Her Father left me before she was a year old… We were poor and could not afford food for her..
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Miss Emily Grierson And Trifles: The Act Of Two Murders
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Rose For Emily Stereotypes
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Motherhood In The Yellow Wallpaper And I Stand Here Ironing
1619 Words | 7 PagesBoth stories have common situations about the mothers portrayed in the stories. In both stories, the main characters had to deal with abandonment in some form. As seen in the story “I Stand Here Ironing”, the narrator’s husband left and caused her to play both roles of being a mother and a father to her children. Therefore, the relationship between her and her daughter isn’t as strong as it should be and the narrator feels guilty about it. The main character in “The Yellow Wallpaper” blames her husband for her depression.
Symbolism In Tillie Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing
734 Words | 3 PagesA common conflict within a familial unit is the parent-child relationship. There are countless works of literature that discuss and analyze the topic thoroughly. I Stand Here Ironing is a short story, by Tillie Olsen, that beautifully displays the perspective of the working single mother in the mid-nineteen hundreds. Olsen’s strategic use of several literary elements highlight the personal struggles of single mothers who have conflicting feelings about motherly duties and “bread-winning” obligations.
Analysis Of Tillie Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing
1149 Words | 5 Pages(385) which made the mother doubt herself and therefore sent Emily away once again thinking that it was the best choice for Emily since she couldn't give her the undivided attention she needed due to the newborn baby that just arrived. Eight months has past and now Emily is back home but yet again she was a different person and all of the affection the mom was showing towards Emily just made her push her mother away more, making the mother believe that she has failed once again. But in the end, the mother
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