Jamaica Kincaid's ‘Girl’ is a short story that depicts a relationship between a girl and her mother. The mother imposes constraining behaviors on the girl. She prescribes the practices because she deems them appropriate for females. However, the narrator's over projected self-image displays her as an overbearing parent. Tillie Olsen's ‘I Stand Here Ironing’ depicts a mother who is ironing while speaking on the phone. Her daughter, Emily, is gaunt and sickly. She likens the back and forth motion of the iron box to her mental process due to her inability to share an emotional bond with Emily. Despite her laments about the past, she lacks enthusiasm for her daughter. Her character only perpetuates Emily's misfortunes.
Both stories portray flaws during parenthood as each of them describes troubles existing between mothers and daughters. Not only do they explore challenges associated with bringing up a child, but they also question motherhood. Mothers are meant to share a bond of love with their daughters. However, in the real world, the relationship may fail to be as successful as they ought to be.
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Despite referring to different places, the stories identify with the theme of poverty. Kincaid's piece depicts a young female who leads a life in a poor country, which eventually causes her to develop a resentful attitude towards her children (Gale, 2016). Olsen, in his story 'I stand here ironing' narrates about the struggle Emily's mother had to undergo as a young female. Emily's father left her mother unexpectedly while she was one year. He was unable to bear with the poverty of his family. The mother would, therefore, raise Emily with no support.
However, the stories differ in the sense that the mother on Olsen's story describes her daughter as beautiful (Olsen, 2002). It is an indication that she was proud of Emily's looks. The narrator in Kincaid's story, on the other hand, constantly tells her daughter what not to do. In one of the lines, "Like the slut she is so bent on becoming," it indicates that the narrator was worried about her daughter's looks. The narrators also use different tones in the stories. Emily's mother shows guilt and regret, while the narrator in Kincaid's story displays sternness.
References
Gale, C. (2016). A Study Guide for Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" . Gale, Cengage Learning.
Olsen, T. (2002). I Stand Here Ironing . ProQuest LLC .
