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Amy Tan Two Kinds Theme

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Alesia Robinson March 6, 2018 ENGL 1102 “Two Kinds" Interpretation and Analysis As I read the story, the words used seem to be dimensionless and one could also say static. In the story, "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan a major element in the story is the narrator. The voice of the narrator creates the tone, and characters in the story which make the story seem real when played in your thoughts. Jing-Mei is the narrator, and she is the daughter of a Chinese immigrant. As the story progresses, her journey through the struggling relationship with her mother is unfolded. The closeness Jing-Mei felt was almost instantly, because she plays the part of a protagonist. Because she is the storyteller, it is easy to understand the things she is going through. …show more content…

She wants her parents to be happy and proud of her, as most children do. Although Jing-Mei wanted to be the kid that would never disappoint, her normal rebellious ways were hard to avoid. This was a point in proving her childishness, while her mother was trying to make her this perfect person, she was doing the opposite. Jing-Mei had a change in perspective occurred after her mom tested her memory many times by making her memorize bible passages and capitals. Every time Jing-Mei answered incorrectly or stumbled with remembering, her mother would look disappointed in …show more content…

She wanted to be normal, independent, and free from her mother's high standards and expectations. Jing-Mei says, "I won’t let her change me, I promised myself." We can say she gives up hope of being a child prodigy. Because Jing-Mei is a child, we can trust her feelings towards things because she has an honest view of the the world. At the the time of the showdown after the talent show drama, Jing-Mei made it clear she wasn’t going to anymore piano lessons by going off on her mother in the worst way. Jing-Mei knowing her mother lost her twin daughters said the most disrespectful, hurtful, and meanest thing she could. Jing-Mei shouted, "I wish I were dead! Like them." Her words fulfilled every ounce of frustration and anger she had towards her

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This disagreement quickly became a source of resentment and anger for both of them, but Jing-Mei and her mother were unable to resolve this conflict because of their different backgrounds and experiences. The story showcases how relationships between mothers and daughters can be strained because of differences in culture and a lack of communication. One of the difficulties between Jing-Mei and her mother is their different cultural backgrounds, which is supported by two points from the story. Firstly, Jing-Mei and her mother both disagreed on the opportunities that existed in America. According to Singer, Amy Tan uses “two entirely

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"Then I wish I'd never been born!" I shouted. “I wish I were dead! Like them." While Jing-Mei says that it puts a hole in mama’s heart because knowing that had happened to her it affected

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(Tan 190). Later, she adds, “I lay awake thinking about my mother’s story, realizing how much I have never known about her, grieving that my sisters and I both lost her…How can I describe in broken Chinese about our mother’s life? Where should I begin?” (Tan 194-5). Jing-mei’s desire to connect with her family, especially her sisters, in their language is evidence that she has altered her attitude, a crucial step in her character

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Regardless, her mother still is persistent on Jing Mei becoming a prodigy, despite her passionless performance and her family’s negative reaction. In return, Jing Mei becomes angry at her mother, and will do anything to change her mind. Screaming, “I wish I were dead! Like them.”, her mother freezes, disappointed in her daughter, and quits Jing Mei’s piano classes. On Page 28-29, Jing Mei’s perspective on the world becomes more apparent: “For unlike my mother, I didn’t believe I could be anything I wanted to be, I could only be me.”

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Throughout the story, Jing-mei’s feeling toward her mother change in critical ways. As a young child, Jing-mei wants constant attention from her mother, going so far as agreeing to become a child prodigy. In the story, Jing-mei commented, “In fact, in the beginning, I was just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so” (Tan 221). This was before her mother becomes highly adamant about wanting her child to become a prodigy. As time went on, she wanted Jing-mei to become the epitome of a child star.

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She then uses these “new thoughts” and ideas to state that she “won’t let her [mother] change” her into the person she seeks her daughter to be. When Jing-Mei experiences a realization that she is her own person and not simply another part of her mother, she can embrace the comfort of knowing that she will not change for anyone, and is simply extraordinary for having her own thoughts and feelings. This reflects how Amy Tan can understand her thoughts and feelings about the hardships in her relationship with her mother as a way to connect more closely to her characters and make them more realistic in her writing (“How Amy Tan’s family stories made her a

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Jing Mei, while portrayed as an obedient child, is only willing to listen to her mother to a certain extent. Throughout the story, it is consistently hinted that Jing Mei would eventually explode against her mother as an attempt to free herself from her mother’s chains. In addition, after the fiasco at the piano recital, she eventually derives further from her mother’s wishes as she “didn 't get straight A...didn 't become class president...didn 't get into Stanford...dropped out of college.” (54). On the flip side, Jing Mei’s mother is a stereotypical Chinese parent who is fully determined to ensure her daughter’s success in a new environment.

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