Character Analysis: Two Kinds By Amy Tan

One day, Jing-Mei’s family and Waverly’s family meet and both mothers brag about how their daughters are very successful. After seeing her mom brag about her non-existent talents, Jing-Mei is determined to stand in the way of her mother's ambitions. A few weeks later, Jing-Mei participates in a talent show at a church hall, although she hasn't practiced and does not know any of the music. Halfway through the song, she realizes how badly she’s playing. The weak applause and her parents’ look of disappointment revealed the indisputable truth: Jing-Mei is not a musical prodigy.

She would present new test, taking her examples from stories of amazing children she had read in Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Good House Keeping, or Reader's Digest….”(Tan 133). Jing mei’s mother had high expectations for her to be like the kids that she read about in magazines or watched on TV. Unfortunately, for Jing Mei, the pressure was too much to handle, and

In both the stories, in which both families include a mother who is the first generation immigrant and the daughter who is an American citizen, their relation is very complex because of their distinct thinking. Jing-Mei’s mother has always had a very high expectation for Jing-Mei. Her mother

Jing-mei alludes to the future life and memories the sisters and she will form as a result of this overdue family reunion. In addition to completing her own journey, Jing-mei also completes her mother’s journey. By sharing all the stories and memories from her mother’s life in China, her mother was in a sense, right aside her in

Both her and her mom want her to be a prodigy of Beyonce. Both of their parents want them to become a prodigy of somebody. Jing-Mei’s mom wants her to be a prodigy of Shirley Temple. One other allusion in “Two Kinds” and modern day society is Peter Pan. Peter Pan never wants to grow up and neither does Jing-Mei.

‘I’ll never be the kind of daughter you want me to be!’ ” (Tan 153). As a result, Jing-mei and Suyuan’s feud ended in dismay. Jing-mei is confused pondering why she is forced to play the piano when she has no interest in music. On the other hand, Suyuan is equally perplexed, she only wanted Jing-mei to play well and feel proud of herself.

Jing-Mei then decides to reunite with her sisters in China, anxiously stating, “I lay awake thinking about my mother’s story, realizing how much I have never known about her, grieving that my sisters and I had both lost her“ (271). At this point in the story, it becomes evident Jing-Mei no longer despises her mother for her distasteful tendencies. Instead, she aspires to see her mother one last time. Remorseful of her incapacity to connect with her mother on a deeper level, Jing-Mei feels inept to fill in for her mother at the mahjong table.

To begin with, Amy in tries to be a different person during a christmas dinner with the minister’s family, but learns from her mother that she will always be chinese. Next Jing-Mei is pushing back from her mother’s wishes for her to become a prodigy, but learns that her mother was just wanting what was best for her. Finally, Harry learns about his actions and character when his father’s parrot speaks invaluable words. All these characters change their own identities, but soon learn to be themselves. These three receive important life lessons about being themselves from certain moments in their lives.

At her first glance at them, she knew exactly who they were because of their resemblance to their mother. However, as she approached them, she realized that there were no evident similarities in features between them and her mother, but that the similarities she noticed at first ran deep in their blood: they were family. And at this brief moment of realization, the most perceptible change in Jing-Mei took place. She said, “Now I also see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious.

In opposition to Waverly, the character Jing-Mei has experienced repeated rejection and failure in her attempt to become a prodigy and finally comes to the decision that“I could only be me,” and any attempt at developing new skills or talents was futile (Tan, 24). So, it is because of her past experiences of continuous defeat that she bases her perception of her self worth and capabilities. While in some cases, one may respond in the complete opposition of Jing-Mei, continuing to persevere in spite of their failures, they still draw on the previous experiences they’ve had, utilizing them as an inspiration or a learning

One dynamic that false expectation strains is the relationship between Suyuan and her daughter Jing-Mei. In a vignette told from the perspective of the latter, Suyuan has the notion that Jing-Mei should be able to perform something at the level of a prodigy. She begins

The Rebellious Daughter: Analyzing the Theme of Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” The story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan explores the deep familial emotions between a mother and her daughter. Jing-Mei’s mother had left China to come to America after losing her family, and had been raising Jing-Mei in America with her second husband. Despite her mother’s grand hopes for Jing-Mei to become successful in America by becoming a child prodigy, Jing-Mei did not share the same opinions.

At first, my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple” (Tan paragraph 4).  The word prodigy is defined as a young person who is endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities.  Amy 's mother wanted her child from the moment she was born to be a prodigy or what the story defines as a Chinese version

To follow through with this objective, her mother bends over backwards in search of the "right" kind of prodigy for her daughter. Although Jing-mei determinedly upsets her mother 's desires to make her a prodigy, it was as if it were decades afterwards in life that she picks up the understanding into her mother 's basic motives. This exposition will endeavor that "Two Kinds" is a compelling story to bring to light on the issues of identity. At the start of the story, the origin starts to appear I latch onto the

At first Jing-Mei grew in her dreams and desirers to be perfect for her family; “In all of my imaginings