"I Stand Here Ironing"

When I was in high school, I had an English class in which we read many short stories that I loved. I started with my memories of that class in the search to find a story I loved. We had read a few quotes from the author Tillie Olsen, and I remember how powerful they were. I searched for her stories, and fell in love with this one, "I Stand Here Ironing."

Told from the perspective of a mother, it explores her struggle in raising her first child. It is narrated in a series of memories as the mother stands at her ironing board. I would urge you to read it a few times over, as the memories switch back and forth, and there are lines that jolt you briefly back to present. The memories detail the life of her first child, which was seemingly one bad situation after another. The writing style is so beautiful, and every description is so unique. Although most of us are unable to relate to the perspective this story is told from, I think we can all relate to the idea behind the story. We all look back on our lives and examine how we got to where we are, whether that is a bad thing, or a good thing. Honestly, the story brought tears to my eyes.

I would recommend this story to the whole class, and I think you all should share it with people around you who are not in this class. Reading it may help you understand your own ways of examining the past, and potentially then letting go of whatever it may be that holds you back from the future.

Here is the link: http://alexanderbecquer.com/IStandHereIroning.aspx