Parent Figures In Fish Cheeks By Amy Tan

We look to our parental figures as guiding lights during dark times. Whether it is advice, emotional support, or a valuable lesson, kids need parents as much as a strong, robust tree needs sunlight and water. In “Fish Cheeks” where the author, Amy Tan, learns from her mother not to feel embarrassed by her Chinese culture while also embracing her western culture. In “My Mothers Garden”, the author Kaitlyn Greenridge also learns a lesson from her mother (albeit indirectly) about she should not feel ashamed of her socio-economic background and her current living situation and how the same she feels can only bring her down.

In “Fish Cheeks”, the narrator Amy Tan displays that she used to be insecure and ashamed of her Chinese heritage and how

Throughout the passage, Greenridge is ashamed of her social class and living in the projects, this is proven by how much she wants to differentiate herself from other people in her class in an attempt to be quirky in paragraph 26 when she describes she was “focused on proving that I did not belong to the poor.” Greenridge describes how her mother used to own a garden, something that reminded her of the middle-class life she formerly had before her divorce. Greenridge thinks that if she has anything to do with this garden, she is embracing and accepting her class, which is stated in paragraph 27 sentence 4, Which is the last thing she wants to convince herself or insinuate to others due to how insecure she is about it. The lesson that is learned is not taught by her mother however and is taught by how swiftly the garden is taken away from her mother because it flouts the rules of the housing projects. This helps Greenridge realize, (similarly to Tan), that she shouldn't feel shame about something harmless that's completely out of her control. She also learns that she should make the best out of her situation, regardless of how much shame and embarrassment it could potentially bring

This claim is not valid, as there's evidence in the text that proves that she is not trying to be completely ignorant of her American side. Near the end of the passage, Tan's mother gives Tan a “miniskirt in beige tweed” in paragraph 7 sentence 2, a standard piece of clothing for young girls in the U.S. This proves that she is not trying to make her completely ignorant of her American culture. Many interpret this scene as the mother trying to push Chinese culture is only further disproven by when she says “But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame.”. This proves that she is only trying to help her daughter feel less ashamed of her culture and heritage rather than trying to push one side of her identity toward her while setting aside her American culture. In “My Mothers Garden”, readers also might think that the lesson taught to Greenridge holds less impact due to how it's less direct than the lesson taught by Tan's mother. This is another claim that holds little evidence due to the evidence in the passage. Throughout the text, Greenridge is never willing to take part in the garden due to her feeling like it would mean she’s accepted her life in the projects in paragraph 27 sentence 4, but after the garden is taken away from her mother due to it not abiding by the rules of the housing projects