Mother-daughter relationships have long been a popular theme for short fiction and have been tackled a number of ways. For instance, in Alice Munro's "Boys and Girls" and Tille Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironing" we see two very different mother-daughter relationships, and yet they both have tragic consequences. Both mothers work hard, in their own way, to provide for their daughters. Each daughter is significantly affected by the role their mother plays, but reacts in her own way. Unfortunately, while they may get what they need, they don't get what they want.

Each mother needs to be able to provide the best for her daughter. In "I Stand Here Ironing" this takes the form of monetary security, while in "Boys and Girls" it is more a matter of providing a good role model. Each mother is doing what they think, or are told, is best, and each has a different idea of what this would be. Socialization has told the mother from "Boys and Girls" that her daughter needs to act like a lady and accept all the facets of her gender role. The mother does not try to push this too forcefully on her daughter, but still waits for the day when she will give in. Society told the mother from "I Stand Here Ironing" all sorts of things. She has a hard enough time making ends meet, and yet still she tries to give her daughter everything she can, which, against all logic, includes sending her away. Both mothers try hard to give their daughters what they think they need, and both succeed to a certain extent.

What the daughter becomes is greatly affected by the mother. When the girl from "Boys and Girls" encounters a part of the world she does not wish to accept, she retreats into the image her mother provides. As her grandmother puts it, "That's none of girls' business". In "I Stand Here Ironing", due to her mother's lack of time and energy, the daughter is forced to mature sooner than one would expect. We can see the emotional affects of not having a mother around when she is only able to express herself through comedy routines. She also has other serious problems that appear to stem from an underdeveloped ability to communicate with other people. The actions of the mother have a serious impact on the character of the daughter in a mostly tragic way.

No matter how hard each mother seems to try, her daughter ends up losing. The daughter from "I Stand Here Ironing" is left an introverted social recluse with serious problems. Every time her mother tries to make her life the least bit better, it goes awry. Through an arguably selfish form of love, the mother in "Boys and Girls" condemns her daughter to the same life, which she herself has become numbed to. Neither girl gets what she wants. The girl from "Boys and Girls" wants nothing more than to be independent and part of her father's adult world, perhaps without all the bloodshed. The only other option left to her is to hide in the world of her subservient mother: A life spent suppressing her true wants and desires. Each mother wants the best for their child, but neither understands what that truly is or how it can be obtained.

Even for all the differences between these two relationships, the message of each is the same and remains both clear and unified: Society has forced these mothers into situations where it is impossible for them to have any kind of meaningful relationship with their daughters or provide for them. Each mother tries with all her heart to care for their daughter, and despite all their efforts, each daughter reacts in their own way, which is unanticipated. Each daughter is worse off in the end and the relationship between mother and daughter is damaged. It is truly tragic and very important that this message, coming from two different sources, is not dismissed or ignored.