Two Kinds by Amy Tan
Two Kinds by Amy TanConflicting Values
A majority of parents and children today have disagreements on what the child should do. For example, parents have an idea where they want their children to attend college. The child might want to attend a totally different college. Most of the time the parents input is not appreciated until the child is an adult.
Some children do what their parents want out of respect and obedience, just as Jing-mei in the short story “Two Kinds”
The short story “ Two Kinds” by author Amy Tan depicts the life of a young Chinese immigrant girl and her family. The young girl’s name is Jing-mei. Jing-mei’s mother always wanted the best for her. She wanted her daughter to be a prodigy at age nine. Jing-mei’s mother chose the type of prodigy she would be. This is the theme of the story, conflicting values. Jing-mei
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wanted to be an individual, while her mother demanded she do what was suggested.
There were many reasons why Jing-mei’s mother demanded so much from her. She had invested the time trying to make Jing-mei a prodigy because she was her last hope. Jing-mei’s mother had lost two children while in China. Jing-mei’s mother also expected her to be a prodigy because she was a Chinese immigrant; she felt immigrants had to prove that they were as talented as or more talented than Americans were.
Jing-mei’s mother didn’t know what she wanted her to do, so she experimented. First came the dancing and singing trails, “ at first my mother wanted me to be a Chinese Shirley Temple” (Tan 450). Jing-mei never agreed to the things that other wanted her to do. Jing-mei was upset with her mother for forcing her to be A “Chinese Shirley Temple”. This plan didn’t work out. Jing-mei’s mother presented her with tests daily to see if she had a prodigy side. Jing-mei wasn’t always successful when taking these tests. “After seeing my
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mother’s disappointed once again, something inside of me began to die. I hated the tests, the raised hopes and
failed expectations…”(Tan 451) this shows how much Jing-mei disliked the things her mother put her through. She is a nine-year-old child she doesn’t want to take tests. She wants to do what most nine-year-olds do, that’s play.
Jing-mei’s mother decides she wants Jing-mei to try her hand at being a pianist. When Jing-mei learned of this decision she was highly upset. “ When my mother told me this, I felt as though I had been sent to hell” (Tan 453). Jing-mei’s reference to “hell” expresses...
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