The iron is a symbolic representation and a mirror of the struggles of the narrator as a mother. Tillie Olsen, the author of the book became a young mother during the 1940s. This led to her shifting her dreams of becoming a writer into taking care and raising her four children. 

The story was focused on the struggles of working-class women who wanted to balance their family life as well as provide for their families. Ironing people’s clothes was one of those home-bound activities that women can do back then while at the same time help them raise their children.

The iron is also a symbolic representation of motherhood, and that it can be a tiring but also a fulfilling task that a mother can do. The story talks about humbling experiences (i.e. being a working class woman) that can still lead to values that are life-affirming. The setting of the story was during the period of nuclear war and economic recession and what women have to go through to raise their families and portray themselves as mothers in a struggling environment.

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4 years ago