I STAND HERE IRONINGBY TILLIE OLSON

Responsible

Emily’s mother a responsible mother. She takes care of Emily although she was busy for her jobs.

Considerate

She was also a considerate person. She knew that she was not able to support the life of Emily and hence she sent her to Emily’s father for a couple years to have better life.

Helpless She tells us from the beginning of

the story that she cannot provide the "key" to her daughter Emily's character: "

It seems strange for a mother to say that her own daughter's life is "beyond" or "outside" her. But we learn that for much of Emily's life, her mother was so busy struggling to make ends meet that she just didn't have the time to pay attention to her daughter.

Guilty conscience

She feels sorry to Emily because she did not bring up her by herself. She cannot have a close relationship with Emily and she does not understand Emily although she is her biological daughter.