Tillie Olsen on Motherhood

Paper Summary:

The paper makes references to Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironing" "Tell Me a Riddle" and "Silences" and shows how Olsen's views on motherhood are heavily influenced by her own life experiences, especially her experiences as a mother. The paper discusses Olsen's belief that a mother needs to understand her own dependency needs in order to understand who she is as a person.

From the Paper:

"Tillie Olsen had a life that can hardly be described as easy or comfortable. She lived in poverty and as a young mother, never found time for herself. For this reason, she understood the trials and tribulations of motherhood as well as the need for self discovery. Thus her work, however little, dwelled on the subject of motherhood with respect to self discovery. That is one of the most amazing aspects of Olsen's views on motherhood. Self-discovery is an important aspect of Tillie Olsen's discourse on motherhood."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Tillie Olsen, Silences (New York: Dell, 1979)
• Tillie Olsen, Tell Me a Riddle (New York: Dell, 1961)
• Joan Garson, "A progressive problem: Can housewife be politically active?" along with the appended editorial commentary in People's World ( May 9, 1946), [this source can be found in the book titled, "The Critical Response to Tillie Olsen Book by Kay Hoyle Nelson, Nancy Huse; 1994."
• Tillie Olsen, "What Do You Think?: 'Politically active' mothers--one view," People's World ( May 23, 1946)
• Joanne S. Frye, "'I Stand Here Ironing': Motherhood as Experience and Metaphor," Studies in Short Fiction 18:3 (1981): 287-92

More papers on Tillie Olsen on Motherhood:

• Analytical Essay # 125716 : "Tillie Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironing"
• Analytical Essay # 88691 : "Socialism in the Writings of Tillie Olsen"
• Analytical Essay # 9611 : "Tillie Olsen"

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