Tillie Olsen “I Stand Here Ironing”
In the second more analytical section of Janet Zandy’s “In the Skin of a Worker,” she compares Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion to Tillie Olsen’s unfinished novel Yonnondio, which follows the story of a family experiencing the Great Depression. Writing in the 1930’s-60’s, the Great Depression is often the backdrop of Tillie Olsen’s stories. In this one, “I Stand Here Ironing,” Olsen introduces us to a mother who is reflecting on her daughter’s life after her father leaves them during the Great Depression. In addition to being a writer, Olsen was also a reporter, union organizer, and literary scholar among many other professions.
