Name: Meer Jamal Ali

Date: 10/10/2022

Section: 5

The Light of the Doomed

Did the progression of the child named Emily in ‘I stand here ironing’, as Robert Coles

views it was in any way positive? Or was it only a tragedy of a story with only a happy ending?

The child named Emily, who is the eldest among five children, was born under unfortunate

circumstances. With her birth father leaving her and her mother when she was only one year old

to her growing up very sick, separated from her mother, having been sent to nursing homes and

to convalesce because of her measles, this child was destined to failure. In his evaluation, Robert

Coles believes that the child in ‘I stand here ironing’ grew up to be a person who stands in

contradiction to her upbringing and how she grew up. With the many misfortunes and

disadvantages of her past, Robert Coles believes that she grew into an essentially intelligent and

fulfilling person. In the following paragraphs, the reasons why Robert Coles’s analysis is to some

extent true is explained. While also showing how his analysis could be flawed and critiqued.

Additionally, some difficulties eldest daughters undergo, and the hardships women in society go

through in raising children and providing for them is shown.

Being left a single mother with a child living in poverty, it seemed that this mother and

her child were condemned. The mother who had to leave her child in the hands of neighbors and

then later send her away to live with her father’s family just to survive simply is a tragedy that,

unfortunately, many women go through, meaning this story is only one of many. Furthermore,

even during those times when she was with Emily, their moments were so short-lived and quick.
By the time Emily was grown up, her mother had become distant and not aware of her child

anymore.

Emily becoming sick and later acting as a mother to her four siblings may have felt that

she did not really have the childhood that she deserved. A neighbor once told the mother, “You

should smile at Emily more when you look at her.” Maybe this treatment of the mother towards

Emily, which she did not have towards the other children, made Emily develop her somber

nature, which is the case for many eldest children even today. Society undoubtedly places a lot of

pressure on women. Because it is a behavior that is acquired at a very young age, oldest

daughters in particular bear a great deal of weight ‘They lived such a short time as kids that when

they had younger siblings, they quickly had to change into adults” (Garrett, A, 2019). which is

the case with Emily. However, even despite all these challenges, Emily, who had always had a

good sense of comedy and performance, entered into the school’s talent show and won. She soon

became popular and began performing on larger scales, but because of her financial limitations,

she never grew to her full potential.

Essentially Coles’ evaluation of Emily is largely accurate since he sees how she

overcomes her painful, frigid background to become independent and pursue happiness on her

own terms. However, when Coles says, “the child did not grow up to be a victim,” he is partially

wrong. It is true that Emily, in the end, reached her will, but she never grew to her full potential

because of her limitations and her childhood. Therefore, we cannot say that she is not a victim

when her past halts her present success.

The story’s ending is bittersweet. In some way, it confirms and validates the miserable

life of the child and makes it clear that “there will be some symptoms that Emily will have to

carry for the rest of their life” (Guntzel Girls, 2009). However, it also shows us that despite all
her struggles, she still manages to find her light and pursue her enjoyment. This somehow creates

a feeling of motivation inside of us that comes from realistic examples in our world. Therefore

yes, the ending, as Coles sees it, is uplifting in a way that’s very unique.

In conclusion, Emily growing up in an environment that tried to tackle her in every aspect

of her life and her not having a proper childhood left some unremovable marks that she will

never recover from. However, that does not mean she failed to succeed and achieve happiness.

Even though Coles’s evaluations were mainly correct, he seems to have an overly optimistic

view on the matter that drifts him away from some of the essential aspects of the story. The

aspects that we as people are affected by our pasts, and we have wounds that will affect us

forever.
 Works Cited

Sheldon-Dean, Hannah. "I Stand Here Ironing." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 18 Jun 2018. Web. 26

Sep 2022.

Guntzel, Girls. (2009, February 16). "I stand here ironing". "I Stand Here Ironing". Retrieved

September 26, 2022, from http://cw1102.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-stand-here-

ironing_16.html

Garrett, A. (2019, June 28). 13 problems firstborn siblings can relate to. Distractify. Retrieved

September 26, 2022, from https://www.distractify.com/p/oldest-sibling-problems