Helpless Before The Iron in Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironing" In Tillie Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironing," the narrator seeks, through language and memory, to construct her past, to make meaning from and come to terms with her life in an effort to "total it all", and to gain a better understanding of her actions as a mother. While the mother is standing in front of an ironing board ironing, she sifts through her memories and debates on the subject of whether or not she has been a good mother. One finds that the narrator is defenseless as a mother because of her youth, her single status, and her poverty level. Firstl