Amy Tan Two Kinds Theme

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In the story “ Two Kinds” Amy Tan presents the theme ¨Be grateful for what you have when you have it because nothing is forever¨ through the main characters Ni kan and her mother and also through foreshadowing. Tan takes you through a story of a girl and her mother as they both individually learn a good life lesson. Ni kan is the main character who strongly helps develop the theme ¨Be grateful for what you have when you have it because nothing is forever.¨ Ni kan is forced to be this “prodigy” child, this perfect being, that her mother pushes her to be. She tried to be what seems like nearly everything starting at a Chinese Shirley Temple to a Piano Player. Ni kan’s mother pushed her hard. She only wanted Ni kan to succeed but she was being selfish in away. It is like her Mother did not have this perfect life so she wanted to have Ni kan to live the life she dreamed of having. Ni kan was terrible in the way that at every practice she was faking knowing how to play and she knew the man could not hear and did not know any better. Ni kan took advantage of him. She wanted nothing to do with her mother 's prodigy idea so she took it out on him when he was only …show more content…

Her Mother is not given a name but is an important main character in this story. She supports the theme ´ Be grateful for what you have when you have it because nothing is forever ’ by teaching Ni kan this lesson. Her Mother is the lesson of this story. She tries so desperately hard to get Nikon to become a prodigy child. A prodigy child is not the real thing she seems to be working for. She wants Ni kan to have a successful good life really. Tan states in the beginning of the story ´ My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. You could work for the government and get good retirement. You could buy a house with almost no money down. You could become rich. You could become instantly