In “Two Kinds” Amy Tan presents the two major characters— Jing-Mei and her mother. From the start of her story, Tan describes the characters from their actions, speeches, and their appearances. She writes about what Jing-Mei and her mother hopes for; either in themselves, and in each other. The story reveals how both Jing-Mei and her mother change and what kind of world they live in. The author reveals Jing-Mei’s journey of changing attitudes as a method of becoming her own person. Amy Tan also writes that Jing-Mei’s mother is not all for her daughter’s journey. The reader learns about the two characters’ differences, and how one disappoints the other.
From the beginning of her short story, Amy Tan reveals the mother’s character and her intentions …show more content…
After reading the story, one can see the kind of world Jing-Mei’s mother came from and the kind she lives in now. Through losing everything back in China, she moved to California in order for her daughter to have a better life than the one she had. Her mother doesn’t look back at her old life and believes in all the good that comes from living in America. She believed “[one] could be anything you wanted to be in America” (Tan 168). She believes someone can get a good job, buy a house, become rich and famous. These hopes and dreams of hers are presented to her daughter, which then are neglected after Jing-Mei sees a different view of who she should be.
Throughout Amy Tan’s short story, she uses the narrative point of view to reveal Jing-Mei's need to not become a prodigy. When the idea first came to mind, she was “just as excited as [her] mother, maybe even more so” (Tan 169). …show more content…
That is, why do we see this character change throughout the story. After going through a point of self-hatred, she notices a shortcoming of who she has to be. Instead of changing the type of person that she is, she changes her attitude in order to not “die” inwardly and emotionally. She rebels and ignores what her mother wants her to become, in order for her to become her own person. Her mother settles with the idea of her becoming a talented pianist. After hearing her mother state this, Jing-Mei “felt as though [she] had been sent to hell. [She whined and then kicked [her] foot a little when [she] couldn’t stand it anymore” (Tan 171). This arose a conflict between Jing-Mei and her mother. This showed how she no longer just went along with what her mother told her to do, but instead, she has shown her opinion on the matter. She becomes disobedient but then eventually does as her mother tells her to do after her mother tells her she is “ungrateful” and says, “if she had as much talent as she has temper, she would be famous now” (Tan 171). Going along with the piano lessons that her mother set up for her, Jing-Mei found a way to not obey her mother completly. Since her instructor was deaf, she “learned [she] could be lazy and get away with mistakes, lots of mistakes” (Tan 172). Through doing this, she realizes that she “never gave [herself] a fair chance (Tan 172). She
From the beginning of her short story, Amy Tan reveals the mother’s character and her intentions …show more content…
After reading the story, one can see the kind of world Jing-Mei’s mother came from and the kind she lives in now. Through losing everything back in China, she moved to California in order for her daughter to have a better life than the one she had. Her mother doesn’t look back at her old life and believes in all the good that comes from living in America. She believed “[one] could be anything you wanted to be in America” (Tan 168). She believes someone can get a good job, buy a house, become rich and famous. These hopes and dreams of hers are presented to her daughter, which then are neglected after Jing-Mei sees a different view of who she should be.
Throughout Amy Tan’s short story, she uses the narrative point of view to reveal Jing-Mei's need to not become a prodigy. When the idea first came to mind, she was “just as excited as [her] mother, maybe even more so” (Tan 169). …show more content…
That is, why do we see this character change throughout the story. After going through a point of self-hatred, she notices a shortcoming of who she has to be. Instead of changing the type of person that she is, she changes her attitude in order to not “die” inwardly and emotionally. She rebels and ignores what her mother wants her to become, in order for her to become her own person. Her mother settles with the idea of her becoming a talented pianist. After hearing her mother state this, Jing-Mei “felt as though [she] had been sent to hell. [She whined and then kicked [her] foot a little when [she] couldn’t stand it anymore” (Tan 171). This arose a conflict between Jing-Mei and her mother. This showed how she no longer just went along with what her mother told her to do, but instead, she has shown her opinion on the matter. She becomes disobedient but then eventually does as her mother tells her to do after her mother tells her she is “ungrateful” and says, “if she had as much talent as she has temper, she would be famous now” (Tan 171). Going along with the piano lessons that her mother set up for her, Jing-Mei found a way to not obey her mother completly. Since her instructor was deaf, she “learned [she] could be lazy and get away with mistakes, lots of mistakes” (Tan 172). Through doing this, she realizes that she “never gave [herself] a fair chance (Tan 172). She