Symbolism insists on this concept. First, the movement of iron embodies the changes that occur as time passes. In a way, Emily's mother attempts to smooth out the wrinkles, and as she does so, the audience focuses on each one: the wrinkles in time. Change, responsibility, and distractions come together in the symbol of ironing to describe Emily's mother's environment and the effect it has on her abilities to be a good mother. The ambiguous “they” simultaneously offers advice to Emily's mother and personifies cultural expectation. Expectations are the determinants of actions. Furthermore, throughout Emily's childhood, the many strangers involved in her life inform her that her actions are helpless against the environment, so she learns to be helpless. In conclusion, Emily's mother describes Emily as “a child of her age, of depression, of war, of fear” (Olsen 10). The symbols within “I Stand Here Ironing” illuminate the environment of the Great Depression and World War II; the environment determines Emily's mother's choices and influences them decisively