I Stand Here Ironing Theme

Improved Essays
"I Stand Here Ironing" and "Everyday Use" are similar stories with one difference. Similarly, both stories share a main theme of resentment, and mothers who blame themselves for their daughters' feelings. Yet differ in their central symbols: an iron and a pair of family quilts.
"I Stand Here Ironing," introduces us to Emily, who resents her sister for needing more attention, and her mother, who blames herself for not giving Emily what she needed. Which she believes contributed to Emily's resentment of her little sister. In the story, the mother never truly had or could find time to spend with Emily. The mother didn’t do it on purpose she just simply couldn't give Emily the attention other kids got. For starters Emily's father was not around,
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For example the mother in "I Stand Here Ironing," had blamed herself for not being able to give Emily the attention that she needed, because she was either always working or tending to the newborn sister named Susan and she had felt that this led to the resentment that Emily had for Susan, while in the story "Everyday Use," the mother had blamed herself because even though you never know the outcome of a fire, she had felt that it was her fault for Maggie getting hurt and scarred for life and while Dee was not hurt at all, Maggie felt as if Dee had the perfect life, which led to resentment. There was also some resentment that the mother had toward Dee the older daughter. This was simply because Dee had furthered her education at a college level which none of her family had done before and she would try to force everything that she was learning on them. The mother did not like it because she felt as if Dee thought she was better than her mother and her sister Maggie. The mother's resentment towards Dee had also stemmed from the boyfriend that Dee had chosen. She did not approve of him and Dee went above her mother's authority and did it

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