Emily Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing

The establishment of a good family background is the foundation for a child’s future. Houses are only built as strong as the concrete below it. Without the strength of a strong foundation, the house will crumble. In the story, “I Stand Here Ironing,” a young girl, named Emily, is raised in a dysfunctional family. Now, like the house, in order for Emily to succeed, she needs a strong family foundation. Due to Emily’s lack of parental guidance and financial hardships, this vulnerable young woman endures many tough situations that later cause her mental instability.

Emily’s mother was not yet ready or mature enough to raise a child, nor did she have a stable relationship with Emily’s father, who later leaves when times become hard. Emily is the first born to a nineteen-year-old mother who is essentially a child herself. Emily’s mother said about herself, “I was a young mother; I was a distracted mother.” (Frye, Joanne S. Tillie Olsen: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1995. N. pag. Print.) The young age and immaturity of her mother, along with her background, causes grueling hardships for young Emily during her childhood which leads into depression for her and other mental issues she has during the years. Emily’s hardships are

Emily may have had a rough upbringing, but that does not mean she could not be successful in spite of it. In America, the reason most people do not succeed is because they do not allow themselves to achieve their goals. Many others are in the same rough situation as Emily’s, but they do not let others hold them back. Instead, they use their past to build the foundation of their life, and allow their past to be learning