'I Stand Here Ironing' by Tillie Olsen

A good example of Modernism is a short story called 'I Stand Here Ironing' by Tillie Olsen. This story not only portrays gender roles but also family roles. Here the narrator is a mother giving the reader a glimpse into her life, choices she made as a mother, and being a single parent. Through her defense of her situation, she exposes to the reader the underlying insecurities that riddle her mind about her mothering.

The tale opens with the narrator explaining the pain she feels when she is reminded of her past and the choices she made. The main character reflects on how the situation may or may not have affected her child Emily. As she suggests, although it is years later, she still does not have time for her children. The mother feels all her children after Emily have had it better. With that said, I shall try to explore the question. What is the difference from then and now?

As a young mother, the narrator expresses how she......

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Title: Olsen
Approximate Word Count: 404
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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