Motherhood and Womanhood as Illustrated in Tillie Olsen’s Essay

Tillie Olsens I Stand present Ironing, is a short story presented in soliloquy form which reverberates a get downs angst over motherhood and the stereotypical images attached by corporation to the female gender ( spellicularly to womanhood and motherhood), which as a result becomes an image that the reflected takes on.The mother, whose identity was not divulged, illustrates the point of references universal relevance in terms of the images that she creates in the minds of the readers that as one listens to the mothers reflections one may find herself entangled in the same(p) situation and, by chance, even sh be the same sen timents with the protagonist, even if the reader comes from a different time and place.The whole monologue translates the metaphorical ironing- let out or straightening what she perceives as the wrinkled part of her personality of and the creative activity around the main character using imageries that seem to check what is really happening within the indiv iduals reality.Her recollections of the past suggests one of the definitive behaviours women, regardless(prenominal) of time and space, perplex performed (sometimes with resentment but most of the times willingly perhaps since the outside perceived imperativeness is insurmountable or they just want to maintain their sanity despite of the challenges) inability to translate into bumptious words and actions what they really olfactory modality at the time when these should have been their refuge to their predicament.Hence, resentment is contained in a vacuum until such time when the self could no longitudinal contain the pressure she begins to vent out her emotions to other persons, things or events. Thus we hear the protagonist, in the end saying, My wisdom came to a fault late. She has much to her and plausibly little will come of it. She is a child of her age, of depression, of war, of fear (par 50).Realization dawned on her at a time least expected when relationships (betwee n mother and daughter) seemed to be on the rocks, when years that could have been considered most loved to the mother as well as to the mother have already past, and when everything else (the frailty physically and emotionally) of both characters (mother and daughter) could have been restored. Imagery colors the mothers world long before reality sets in. She was a beautiful baby You do not guess how new and uneasy her tenancy in her now loveliness (par 4) I was cardinal.It was the pre-relief, pre-WPA world of the depression (par 8) you spoke of her r are gift for comedy on the stage that aroused laughter out of the audience so dear they applaud and applaud and do not want to let her go (par 17). rase the convalescent home where Emily was forced to stay after her mother could not keep her any longer is described in the mothers monologue as a place that resembles a hallowed sanctuary Oh it is a handsome place, green lawns and tall trees and fluted flower beds.High up on the ba lconies of individually cottage the children stand, the girls in their red bows and white determinees, the boys in white suits and giant red ties (par 26) she is more than this dress on the ironing board, aid oneselfless before the iron (par 51), which illustrates the paradox in the main characters and her daughters life the iron represents her as the mother who tries to straighten out the wrinkles (seemingly problematic ensure in her daughters life as well as in her personality, which are represent by the dress being ironed out before it was beautiful and served as a covering for the body, figuratively a conceals the characters soul and real identities) both and the board and the iron served may be perceived as the outside pressures the mother, represented by the iron being pressed by significant others stereotypical conception on motherhood and womanhood and the board, may be perceived as the ruffianly socio-cultural norms that unavoidably shapes others perception of the m ain characters roles and identities.In all of these situations, reality (which is generally described as depressing) are presented alternately with the pleasant imageries creating an impression of concealing what is in existence like the mask that the mother has, perhaps put on for a long time before she finally had the courage to accept the vivid order of things. The mother in the story, while ironing, attempts to understand or iron out her ambivalent feelings towards her nineteen year-old daughter Emily, the oldest among her five children, and who is described as having a troubled childishness. Her monologue moves between the present and the past, kickoff from Emilys birth during the Depression era of the 1930s when the she was herself was just nineteen years old. With the monologue, the mother distressingly recollects how she neglected Emily because of circumstances beyond her control.Throughout the mothers monologue, the intended recipient of the message remained unnamed, al though at that place was a particular mention of a social worker in the story (par. 30) and one hears the trio person at the beginning of the mothers monologue, Shes a youngster who needs help and whom Im deeply interested in helping. In the monologue, the mother reveals her responsibility and guilt in motherhood. As the finishes her monologue, one could feel how she is caught between feeling responsible for her daughters unhappy childhood and recognizing her powerlessness and lack of alternatives. Nonetheless she realizes her own identity is separate from her daughter even though she is part of her daughter yet separate from her, hence her daughter has a life of her own.In the end the mother ends her monologue She is a child of her age, of depression, of war, of fear. Let her be. So all that is in her will not blossom but in how many does it? There is still enough left to live by. Only help her to know-help make it so there is cause for her to know that she is more than this dress on the ironing board, at sea before the iron (par 51). In much the same way, the person having a mind of her own, may train to follow or reject how her significant others (in this case, the mother) upbringing (so Emily is described as, She kept too much in herself, her life was such she had to keep too much in herself) (par 50). Such behavior is explained in a study conducted by Robert Karen (1990) in which he stressed there are traits that are wise(p) that whether a person trusts others or not, whether one anticipates love or rejection, whether one will feel good about himself as a person depends on how much an individual learns from his significant others These are not inherited traits, they are learned and although subject to replace, they are initially determined by the sensitivity and reliability of the care you received in your first years (in Karen 15). Because of the pressing process the characters have learned to adjust to imposing situations (how they react wheth er positively or negatively depends on how they perceive the process). Both characters personalities were subjected to the pressing forces of nine and each persons reactions to these pressures.The ironing process ended up straightening wrinkled dress (problematic characters) the change did not take place out of the individuals efforts but because they were forced by outside empowering factors. Without these outside forces, these characters ability have remained wrinkled nonetheless. Hence both the process of ironing out has become both a necessity and a luxury (since there could be different modes of ironing out (others could be less tiring and takes only a while).Works CitedKaren, Robert. (February 1990) Becoming Attached, Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved April 09, 2009 from http//www. psychology. sunysb. edu/attachment/online/karen. pdf Olsen, Tillie. I Stand Here Ironing