“There is no person so severely punished, as those who subject themselves to the whip of their own remorse,” wisely summates Lucius Annaeus Seneca 1st century Roman philosopher (qtd. in ThinkExist.com Quotations). Effectively illustrating this idea as a concise confessional, the short story, “I Stand Here Ironing,” is written in an autobiographical style by Tillie Olsen, contrasting the festering damage that unresolved internal remorse creates with the reassuring serenity that unconditional acceptance generates. Regretfully, this stark reality often becomes the harrowing plight of the nescient parent. That having been said, taking a closer look into Olsen’s story will undeniably prove that a conflicting introspective battle between regret and contentment can only be resolved through the emancipation of unconditional acceptance.
When experiencing regret, a person has the tendency to repeatedly replay the details of whatever caused that emotion. However, recounting past events is only the first step in the healing process, but it is not the end solution. This is abundantly evident in Olsen’s story which begins with the narrator’s rapid emotional descent into regret. This happens when, as she has probably done a thousand times before, an unnamed third party questions the mother about her eldest daughter, Emily, asking how they can “help” and “understand her” better (Olsen 607), for surely she would know. Unfortunately, the answer to this request sends the mother helplessly down memory lane into regret valley. With Olsen’s strong symbolism, the reader becomes more keenly aware of the inner “torment” she feels while reminiscing about her callow method of raising Emily. Consequently, as the mother “moves… back and forth” emotionally, ...
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...ot have to automatically mean something negative. Therefore, though deep emotions are involved in the healing process, we now know love and acceptance, not guilt and sadness releases us from wasting precious energy on negative thinking and opens up a completely new opportunity, being able to enjoy the bright side of regret.
Works Cited Page
Kathryn Schulz. “Don't Regret Regret.” 2011. Video. TED Conferences, LLC, New York. Web. 24 Apr 2012. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/kathryn_schulz_don_t_regret_regret.html
Olsen, Tillie. “I Stand Here Ironing.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. Kennedy, X.J., and Dana Gioia. 11th ed. New York: Longman, 2011. 607- 612. Print.
ThinkExist.com Quotations. “Seneca quotes.” ThinkExist.com Quotations Online. 1 Mar. 2012. Web 23 Apr. 2012. http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/seneca/
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