The Mother in I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen
by Barry Wright
Essay: The Mother in I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen
Pages: 10
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The most heartbreaking way to destroy a precious relationship between mothers and daughters is when each
party says something insensitive and callous, as described in Amy Tan’s story Two Kinds, “There are only two kinds
of daughters. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in
this house. Obedient daughter!’” to which the daughter, Jing Mei, responds, “Then I wish I’d never been born! I
wish I were dead! Like them” (294-295). Although the mother’s words are unkind, Jing Mei ultimately crosses the
line, thus creating a fracture in their relationship that she believes will never be mended. In Jing Mei’s child
perception, she believes that because her mother stops pushing her to play piano after this, she really wishes her
two babies were here instead of Jing Mei. Jing Mei cannot begin to understand what an ideal mother is, because
of the complexity of humans. Is a perfect mother someone who is overworked and thus absent or someone
overbearing and a perfectionist or easily persuaded and thus unfair? In the stories: Two Kinds by Amy Tan, I Stand
Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen, and Everyday Use by Alice Walker, the notion of reconciliation between mothers and
daughters is explored. Forgiveness made through both daughters and mothers being able to understand and
accept the reasoning behind a mother’s actions, which, as young girls, the daughters unfortunately
misunderstood.
In the story Two Kinds by Amy Tan, Jing Mei’s mother’s obsession with making Jing Mei a prodigy is the cause of
destruction in their relationship but, once Jing Mei begins to understand her mother’s reasoning, the enabler for
their reconciliation. For instance, Jing Mei struggles with trying to play the role of the...
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