Two Kinds by Amy Tan

A detailed Summary of Two Kinds by Amy Tan


In the story "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan, we are shown the struggles of a young girl Jing-Mei. Her struggle is that of a young girl growing up and trying to find her own sense of identity. Her troubles are compounded by her mother, who convinces her that she can become someone important. Because of her mother's constant overbearing behavior, Jing-Mei does everything she can to annoy and displease her mother even to the point of being a failure. This fight to find her own identity against her mother's wishes shows how parents cannot control their child's life; they can only point them in the right direction and let them make their own choices.

In the onset of the story we find Jing-Mei's mother convincing her that she "can be prodigy..." (491) and that she "can be best any


Even as Jing-Mei loses interest in becoming a prodigy, her mother continues to push her on. She decides to arrange piano lessons for Jing-Mei without consulting her first. In doing these things, Jing-Mei's mother wants to control not only her actions but also her dreams, and she will not tolerate disobedience. She says, "Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!" (497) We can see that Jing-Mei truly resents her mother's decisions and fights her control. Jing-Mei tells her mother that, "I wish I weren't your daughter. I wish you weren't my mother". (497) Then she says, "I wish I were dead! Like them." (497) These strong words used by Jing-Mei illustrate how far she will go to break the grip her mother has on her. She challenges her mother's authority an

Some common words found in the essay are:
Deciding Jing-Mei's, Amy Tan, Perfectly Contented, Pleading Child, jing-mei's mother, parents control, , dream story, wish weren't, own dream, control jing-mei, prodigy mother,

Approximate Word count = 534
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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