In the story “Two Kinds,” Jing-mei Woo is being tested by her mother Suyuan to see if she is a prodigy. Suyuan believes that you can be anything you aspire to be in America. Once she sees the child prodigies on television, Suyuan starts trying to find what type of prodigy Jing-mei is, her hidden talent. At first, Jing-mei is just as excited as her mother at the idea of being a prodigy. She thinks of this as a way to be adored by her parents. Every night after dinner, Suyuan sits at the kitchen table and tests Jing-mei on various skills. The tests range from multiplying numbers in her head to predicting the daily temperature in Los Angeles, New York, and London. Jing-mei fails every single one of these tests. She hates the tests and the expectations
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It was the fear and realization that she will never be special, nothing extraordinary. I have felt this way many times. I have been in Jing-mei’s place, crying because of being ashamed of who I turned out to be, something I cannot change no matter how hard I try. It is unfortunate that I relate with this quote, but it correlates with the book’s repeating theme of self perception. Self perception is not only about self worth, but is also about how you you see yourself as a person. This reoccurring theme is shown through the other daughters trying to find themselves in their Chinese-American culture, their clashing identities. Waverly is upset about possibly not blending in when she goes to China. Lena sees dangers with her “Chinese eyes, the part of me I got from my mother” (103). Rose marries a foreigner, a “waigoren” (117). Their perception of themselves is marred by their struggle of trying to fit in. This is like the way Suyuan’s continuous tests unintentionally tarnishes Jing-mei’s self-worth. In life, as shown in The Joy Luck Club, there are many things that will make you question your self worth and alter your perception of yourself. It is rough, struggling with the mentality that you are not worthy, especially if there are so many things proving that you are of no value. Jing-mei now has to deal with the task of perceiving herself in a positive way. It is a challenging journey from
It was the fear and realization that she will never be special, nothing extraordinary. I have felt this way many times. I have been in Jing-mei’s place, crying because of being ashamed of who I turned out to be, something I cannot change no matter how hard I try. It is unfortunate that I relate with this quote, but it correlates with the book’s repeating theme of self perception. Self perception is not only about self worth, but is also about how you you see yourself as a person. This reoccurring theme is shown through the other daughters trying to find themselves in their Chinese-American culture, their clashing identities. Waverly is upset about possibly not blending in when she goes to China. Lena sees dangers with her “Chinese eyes, the part of me I got from my mother” (103). Rose marries a foreigner, a “waigoren” (117). Their perception of themselves is marred by their struggle of trying to fit in. This is like the way Suyuan’s continuous tests unintentionally tarnishes Jing-mei’s self-worth. In life, as shown in The Joy Luck Club, there are many things that will make you question your self worth and alter your perception of yourself. It is rough, struggling with the mentality that you are not worthy, especially if there are so many things proving that you are of no value. Jing-mei now has to deal with the task of perceiving herself in a positive way. It is a challenging journey from