Beginning of Essay
A Mother’s Decision In the short story "" by Tillie Olsen, the reader is introduced to a mother faced with a strong internal conflict involving her eldest daughter Emily. Emily’s mother makes a very meaningful statement at the end of the story. Her s ....

Middle of Essay
.... At this point Emily was a mere eight months old. Her mother made this decision so that she could work and save money for their future. Emily came back to her mother when she was two "all baby loveliness gone" (Olsen, 579). At this time in the story, the reader is able to see a change in the way the mother describes her child. The mother goes from seeing Emily as a beautiful baby to seeing her as a thin two-year-old. Emily grows into a young child who was self-conscience about her appearance, "thin and foreign-looking at a time when every girl was supposed to look [like the] replica of Shirley Temple" (Olsen, 580). Emily’ ....