5The story “Two Kinds” is written by Amy Tan. The story is about June's mother starting test to see if her daughter is a prodigy. One day, the mom sees a young Chinese girl playing piano on the Ed Sullivan Show, and then uses that idea to have her daughter June starting playing the piano. June starts piano lessons with Chong, who her mother exchanges lessons for cleaning services. After a while, June prepares to play the piano at a recital, which her mom and her friends come to watch her. However, June performs disastrously at the piano recital. This triggers and disappoints her mother. This leads June and her into a verbal confrontation, and mentions how her mother lost two children in China, and that she states that, “I wish I were dead!
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The piano in the story represents what the mother wants for the daughter. However, the daughter does not want it for herself. The mother trades cleaning services for piano lessons for her daughter, and her daughter resists the idea. This also shows how much the mother sacrificed to have her daughter become a prodigy, and to fulfill the “American Dream.”
5Another symbol in the story is, the two piano pieces. The two pieces are, “Pleading Child” and “Perfectly Contented.” These two pieces together mutually represent her life. The daughter talks about how, “After I played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song.” (Tan 382). The “Pleading Child” piece describes and represents her childhood, while, the “Perfectly Contented” piece describes and represents her adulthood.
5Furthermore, the story focuses on the mother-daughter dynamic. Their relationship is so close at first because the mother had a very difficult line in China. Coming to American gave her and her daughter the opportunity to live the “American Dream” and become successful. The problem is that the mother defines success for he daughter as being exceptional at something. Thus, the daughter must take piano lessons to become a child protegee. However, friction and tension are built over in their relationship over time, leading the daughter to rebel from her
The piano in the story represents what the mother wants for the daughter. However, the daughter does not want it for herself. The mother trades cleaning services for piano lessons for her daughter, and her daughter resists the idea. This also shows how much the mother sacrificed to have her daughter become a prodigy, and to fulfill the “American Dream.”
5Another symbol in the story is, the two piano pieces. The two pieces are, “Pleading Child” and “Perfectly Contented.” These two pieces together mutually represent her life. The daughter talks about how, “After I played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song.” (Tan 382). The “Pleading Child” piece describes and represents her childhood, while, the “Perfectly Contented” piece describes and represents her adulthood.
5Furthermore, the story focuses on the mother-daughter dynamic. Their relationship is so close at first because the mother had a very difficult line in China. Coming to American gave her and her daughter the opportunity to live the “American Dream” and become successful. The problem is that the mother defines success for he daughter as being exceptional at something. Thus, the daughter must take piano lessons to become a child protegee. However, friction and tension are built over in their relationship over time, leading the daughter to rebel from her