A Comparison Of Two Kinds And How To Date A Brown Girl

Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” and Junot Diaz’s “How To Date A Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl, or Halfie)” are two short stories that explore cultural expectations, self-identity, and personal struggles. While Tan’s story describes the complexities of Chinese-American cultures and the conflict between personal and familial aspirations, Diaz’s story details a boy’s struggle to fit into stereotypes and adapt to racial backgrounds. By analyzing and comparing the stories’ perspectives, settings, and language, deeper insights are gained regarding the personal clashes inside the characters as well as their surrounding cultural and societal pressures. Perspective and point of view play a large role in helping the reader understand the internal conflicts

To do this, Tan writes her story in first-person while Diaz’s story is written in second-person. As a result, the reader is able to gain insight into the characters’ minds in order to better understand and empathize with them. For instance, Tan’s first-person perspective reveals Jing-Mei’s internal feelings toward her mother’s perceived ignorance as well as her own aspirations. At one point, Jing-Mei felt “determined to put a stop to her [mother’s] foolish pride” (Tan 34). Here, Jing-Mei is describing her mother’s desire to shape her into a prodigy by forcing her to play piano while bragging to her mother’s friends. If not for the perspective of Jing-Mei, the reader would not have known of her anger and frustration with her mother as well as the familial pressure present. In comparison, the narrator in Diaz’s story advises the reader on how to behave depending on the cultural and racial background of the girl they are dating. Diaz’s use of

For instance, “Two Kinds” opens with Jing-Mei saying, “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America” (Tan 31). Right off the bat, Tan establishes the setting of a Chinese immigrant in America. This helps the reader understand her mother’s strong desire for Jing-Mei to become a prodigy as well as her disappointment at Jing-Mei’s inability to become one. In addition, the setting helps describe the cultural expectations of juggling her mother’s traditional Chinese values and aspirations with those of her own. On the other hand, Diaz’s narrator is situated in an American town that has a variety of racial and social classes present. The setting helps reinforce the stereotypes the narrator feels he must conform to as well as his lack of confidence in his authentic self. For example, the narrator says that “If the girl’s from the Terrace, stack the boxes in the crisper. If she’s from the Park or Society Hill, then hide the cheese in the cabinet above the oven” (Diaz). The differing actions and expectations of the narrator are thus illustrated due to the environment he lives in. Moreover, the environment and setting of the narrator’s date also impact the instructions given to the reader, highlighting his internal struggles as a result of external pressure. As such, although both characters face different issues with self-perception and expectations,