The Character of Mother in Tillie Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironing" The short story "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen begins with a mother ironing and responding to a question about her daughter, Emily. The mother begins to think back about her daughter growing up. Emily was born during the Depression, so as a single parent, her mother had to work many jobs to provide a life for her little girl. Getting through to …showed first 75 words of 736 total…

…showed last 75 words of 736 total…story, mother says to the person questioning her, "Only help her to know--help make it so there is cause for her to know--that she is more than this dress on the ironing board, helpless before the iron" (305). Mother wants her daughter to know that she owns a big part of her heart, even though she has made mistakes in raising her. Emily is not just another daily chore, she is a miracle that is irreplaceable.