I Stand Here Ironing

The narrator in this story is overwhelmed by guilt because of the way she had raised her daughter compared to her other children. She feels that her eldest daughter Emily was neglected various times throughout her childhood. She had to send her away when she was an infant because she could not take care of Emily because the times were hard and that Emily's father had left them. The narrator expresses guilt in the fact that she would not tend to her daughter when she had a nightmare and would simply tell her that she was fine and to go back to bed. The narrator also explains that Emily missed quite a bit of school. " She had to be a mother, and housekeeper, and shopper" (294). In my opinion I think that the narrator tried being a good mother to Emily the best she knew how. Taking into consideration that the narrator was young when she had Emily and it did not help that the father walked out on them. I think that there are things that she could have done differently such as comforting her daughter when she needed it. In the end of this story Emily turned out to have a terrific talent of making people laugh. She brought laughter into the lives of others and I think that Emily turned out just fine.