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Overview
“I Stand Here Ironing” is a short story by Tillie Olsen that was first published in 1956 under the title “Help Her to Believe” and republished in 1957 as “I Stand Here Ironing.” The story is a first-person monologue in which a mother reflects on her troubled relationship with her eldest daughter, Emily
. The narrative explores the complexities of parenting and the struggle to reconcile personal aspirations with the demands of motherhood in the face of economic hardship and social constraints.Read the full story summary, an in-depth character analysis of the narrator, and explanations of important quotes from “I Stand Here Ironing.”
