I Stand Here Ironing Essay

The development of an individual's personality, beliefs, and behaviours is complex and dependent on the magnitude of each factor. This idea is relevant in the short story I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen because of the contrasting environments between the narrator’s first and second-born daughters. In this story, the first-born daughter, Emily, was raised during the depths of the Depression, an era where essential resources like food were scarce and with only the support of her single mother. In contrast, the second-born daughter, Susan, was fortunate to be raised near the end of the Great Depression with the benefit of having a supportive father alongside her. Through the contrasting traits of each daughter, it is evident that their respective

Due to Emily’s mother being occupied with work, she wouldn’t have time to take care of Emily herself, and thus Emily was sent to nurseries and her father’s relatives. However, Emily never enjoyed being sent off; "She always had a reason why [they] should stay home" (Olsen 293), implying that Emily yearned to spend more time with her mother and to be able to connect with her. This lack of connection caused Emily to grow distant from her mother, and so Emily would often have to face her challenges alone. As such, when Emily contracted measles, her mother was unable to be there to provide her with the support she needed to overcome the sickness. Even when she was available, "she could not come near the new baby or [her mother]" (Olsen 294), leaving Emily feeling isolated and alone. The lack of support and separation from her parents likely facilitated the development of her eating disorder, as eating disorders are often linked to psychological and emotional health. This disorder would be the main contributor to Emily’s larger problem, her frail and weak persona. Mentally, Emily's eating disorder manifested as a gradual internal decay, as her worsening mental state was symbolized by the persistent progression of her disordered eating. Though physically, Emily was not eating enough for what her body required, so her appearance would be negatively altered to reflect that. As such,

This development is directly related to the environment, as Emily’s environment was significantly more unfavourable than Susan’s. For instance, Susan was described as "golden- and curly-haired and chubby, quick and articulate and assured, everything in appearance and manner", which was in contrast to Emily, who "was not" like any of the traits mentioned (Olsen 296) and instead described as a child "of depression, of war, of fear" (Olsen 298). These contrasting descriptions emphasize the night-and-day differences in how an environment can shape a person. Susan’s perfect and golden identity is reflected in her positive environment, while Emily’s disoriented and despairing identity is reflected in her negative environment. In Emily’s environment, her single, young, inexperienced mother was unable to effectively aid her in the already difficult circumstances of the Great Depression, and thus the already difficult challenges associated with the Depression were thrown at a young, developing Emily for her to deal with alone. In Susan’s environment, she had a father to raise her alongside her mother, who by this time was more experienced in taking care of children. These extra resources meant Susan already had many more privileges than Emily at the start and would be given a lot more support than Emily received. Emily was even sent off to a convalescent home as her