Two Kinds

Two Kinds

Amy Tan's “Two Kinds” story, shows the struggle between a mother and a daughter. It takes place in what is known as Chinatown in California. The mother believes that her daughter can do anything she sets her mind into in the United States, as is it viewed as a place where your dreams can come true. The mother wants her child to be a prodigy, while the daughter does not seem to care much about it. She believes that her mother is just making her life difficult and thinks that she can be successful through her own efforts. The girl goes through a self discovery journey in the story, as she realizes that everything she went through made her the woman she became at the end.

Throughout the story it is shown how the mother wants to dominate and take over the daughter's life. The fact that every night “she would present new tests, taking her examples from stories of amazing children she had read...” (194) depicts the necessity on challenging her daughter to learn new things and become the “perfect” child she wanted her to be. Another instance is when she scheduled her daughter to take piano lessons and practice. This was the result of her looking at a child play on TV and being fascinated by it.

On the other hand, the daughter was not all too thrilled about her mother's plan and wanted to do the things the way she wanted to. At first she was excited as she pictured herself in various situations and imaginings. After failing various tests and disappointing her mother, she loses interest in becoming a prodigy and becomes very stubborn. When taking the piano lessons, she realized that she “...could be lazy and get away with mistakes, lots of mistakes” (196). After playing the wrong keys, she would not correct herself as she was determined not to try. In the talent show, she stumbled and played the wrong notes. Feeling her mother's shame, she decides not to play anymore.

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