Tillie Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing

In Tillie Olsen's, "I Stand Here Ironing," a mother stands at her ironing board recollecting the life of her daughter Emily, who is now nineteen. She was not able to spend much time with Emily while she was growing up and feels guilty because of it. However, the mother’s poor parenting and abandonment of her daughter in a neglectful environment lead Emily to find her comedic talent, her ability to be independent and her great appreciation of everything early in life.

Because of Emily’s substandard childhood, she possesses the dark side of comedy. Many people do not understand the dark psychology of being a comedian. Comedians are successful because they can appreciate happiness because they go through depression. Emily comes from a poor and broken family. Her father left when she was nearly one and she was left to family while her mother worked. Emily always “...fretted about her appearance...” because it was popular to be blonde and chunky and she was brown haired and skinny (Olsen, 55). Also, Emily’s mother notices that “she does not smile easily...” and “her face is closed and somber...” (Olsen, 54). However some nights, while her mother was ironing or making food, Emily would

“make [her mother] laugh, or out of despair, she would imitate happenings or types at school” (Olsen, 56). This humor that she would have was her way of covering the depression and hopelessness. The jokes would ease her pain and help her deal with the injustices in her life. She soon developed a passion for this and performed at different schools statewide. Her performances on stage served as a coping mechanism, to help escape from her daily troubles. She may have had a doubtful childhood but this experience is what made her develop this great talent that will set her up to be successful.
Emily also showed her independence when she was dropped off at nursery school, where she showed an abundant amount of appreciation and independence for a child of her age. When her mother leaves she acts the opposite of most kids her age. “She did not clutch and implore “don’t go Mommy” like the other children” and even though she dreads going to the school there is “‘Never a direct protest, never rebellion” (Olsen 54). Since she was switched around quite often, because of her broken family, Emily was used to being somewhere even if she disliked it. She knew at a very young age that her mother was doing everything she could for her including going to work. Her mother taught her how to be appreciative by moving her around so much during childhood. Most kids her age would not understand this because they have not gone through so many alterations. Emily acts calm even in situations that are unfair.
Since Emily’s mother did not have the time for her and often left her alone, she grew up faster than most children and she gained many of the qualities and actions of an adult early on.

In fact, studies show that “...exposure to an unpredictable, impoverished environment as a kid leads to faster development whereas children who grow up in a stable environment with more resources tend to have a slower developmental course” (Scientific American). Because of her imperfect childhood, Emily is self- supporting and when Emily had nightmares her mother checked on her at night and her response was always “... I’m all right, go back to sleep mother” (Olsen, 54). Emily self- provided her comfort because she knew that her mother would not always be there and this resulted in her early

independence.
When the mother finishes her reminiscence of her daughter she realizes that there is nothing she can change and she just needs to let her daughter grow up and figure things out for herself. Even though Emily’s mother feels guilty about not being involved in every step of her daughter's life, she was right and created a daughter who possesses a comedic talent, the ability to be independent and one who was taught to be appreciative early in her life.