Two Kinds Analysis by Amy Tan

Amy Tan’s short story “Two Kinds” is a powerful tale about the relationship between a Chinese immigrant mother and her American-born daughter. The story explores themes of cultural identity, family expectations, and the pursuit of the American Dream.

In this post, we’ll break down the key elements of the story, analyze its characters, and discuss its broader implications.

Background: Amy Tan and Her Work

Amy Tan is a Chinese-American author known for her novels and short stories that often deal with the experiences of Chinese immigrants and their American-born children. Born in 1952 in Oakland, California, Tan drew from her own life experiences to create rich, complex narratives that resonate with readers around the world.

“Two Kinds” is part of Tan’s collection of interconnected short stories called “The Joy Luck Club,” published in 1989. This book became a bestseller and was later adapted into a successful film, bringing Tan’s exploration of Chinese-American family dynamics to a wider audience.

Plot Summary

The Mother’s Dream

The story begins with the narrator, Jing-mei (June) Woo, recalling her mother’s belief in the American Dream. Having immigrated to the United States after losing everything in China, Jing-mei’s mother is determined that her daughter will become a prodigy and achieve success in America.

Piano Lessons and Conflict

Jing-mei’s mother decides that her daughter should become a piano prodigy, inspired by a young Chinese girl she sees on The Ed Sullivan Show. Despite Jing-mei’s lack of interest and talent, her mother arranges for piano lessons with Mr. Chong, a retired piano teacher in their neighborhood.

The lessons become a source of tension between mother and daughter. Jing-mei resists practicing and doesn’t take the lessons seriously, while her mother becomes increasingly frustrated with her daughter’s lack of progress and apparent lack of effort.

The Talent Show Disaster

The conflict reaches its peak when Jing-mei performs at a talent show. Unprepared and overconfident, she plays poorly, embarrassing herself and disappointing her mother. This moment marks a turning point in their relationship and in Jing-mei’s understanding of her mother’s expectations.

The Aftermath and Reflection

Following the talent show, Jing-mei rebels against her mother’s attempts to make her practice. In a heated argument, she tells her mother that she wishes she were dead like the babies her mother lost in China. This cruel statement deeply hurts her mother and creates a rift between them.

Years later, as an adult, Jing-mei reflects on this period of her life and her relationship with her mother. She comes to understand the complexity of her mother’s motivations and the cultural gap that contributed to their misunderstandings.

Character Analysis

Jing-mei (June) Woo

Jing-mei is the protagonist and narrator of the story. As a young girl, she struggles with the pressure of her mother’s expectations and her own desire for independence. She resists her mother’s attempts to shape her into a prodigy, feeling that she can never live up to these expectations.

Example: Jing-mei’s frustration is evident when she thinks, “I won’t let her change me, I promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not.”

As an adult, Jing-mei gains a more nuanced understanding of her mother’s motivations and the cultural factors that influenced their relationship.

Jing-mei’s Mother

Jing-mei’s mother is a complex character driven by her experiences as a Chinese immigrant and her hopes for her daughter’s future in America. She believes strongly in the American Dream and is determined that her daughter will achieve success and recognition.

Her push for Jing-mei to become a prodigy stems from a desire to give her daughter opportunities she never had, as well as a need to prove that Chinese people can excel in American society.

Example: The mother’s determination is clear when she tells Jing-mei, “You can be best anything. What does Auntie Lindo know? Her daughter, she is only best tricky.”

Mr. Chong

Mr. Chong is the elderly piano teacher who gives Jing-mei lessons. Despite being partially deaf and having poor eyesight, he tries his best to teach Jing-mei. His character represents the challenges and limitations faced by many immigrant professionals in America.

Themes and Symbolism

The American Dream

One of the central themes in “Two Kinds” is the pursuit of the American Dream. Jing-mei’s mother believes wholeheartedly in the idea that anyone can achieve success in America through hard work and determination. This belief drives her actions throughout the story.

Example: The mother’s faith in the American Dream is evident when she tells Jing-mei, “You can be prodigy, too. Of course, you can be prodigy. You just not trying.”

Cultural Identity and Generational Conflict

The story explores the tension between Chinese cultural values and American individualism. Jing-mei, born and raised in America, struggles to understand and meet her mother’s expectations, which are rooted in Chinese cultural norms.

This generational and cultural conflict is a common theme in immigrant families, where children often feel torn between their parents’ traditional values and the norms of their adopted country.

Expectations and Self-Discovery

The pressure to become a prodigy reflects the broader theme of parental expectations and a child’s journey of self-discovery. Jing-mei’s resistance to her mother’s plans represents her desire to find her own identity and path in life.

Example: Jing-mei’s frustration with her mother’s expectations is clear when she thinks, “I didn’t have to do what my mother said anymore. I wasn’t her slave. This wasn’t China.”

The Piano as a Symbol

The piano in the story serves as a powerful symbol. For Jing-mei’s mother, it represents the potential for success and acceptance in American society. For Jing-mei, it becomes a symbol of her mother’s unrealistic expectations and her own feelings of inadequacy.

Later in life, the piano takes on new meaning as a symbol of the complex relationship between mother and daughter, and of Jing-mei’s growing understanding of her mother’s motivations.

Literary Techniques

First-Person Narration

Tan uses first-person narration to give readers direct access to Jing-mei’s thoughts and feelings. This narrative choice allows us to experience the events of the story through Jing-mei’s perspective, both as a young girl and as an adult looking back on her childhood.

Example: The intimacy of the first-person narration is clear in lines like, “I felt as though I had been sent to hell. I was a young Lucifer, fallen from grace.”

Flashbacks

The story is structured around flashbacks, with the adult Jing-mei reflecting on events from her childhood. This technique allows Tan to show how Jing-mei’s understanding of her mother and their relationship has evolved over time.

Dialogue

Tan uses dialogue effectively to reveal character and cultural differences. The way Jing-mei’s mother speaks, with her broken English and Chinese idioms, contrasts sharply with Jing-mei’s more Americanized speech patterns.

Example: The mother’s distinctive speech is evident in lines like, “Just like you, I show you how to listen.”

Imagery

Vivid imagery helps bring the story to life, particularly in descriptions of Jing-mei’s piano playing and the talent show performance.

Example: Tan’s use of imagery is powerful in descriptions like, “The silence was broken only by the plink, plink, plunking of the piano keys.”

Cultural Context

Chinese Immigration to America

To fully appreciate “Two Kinds,” it’s important to understand the historical context of Chinese immigration to the United States. Many Chinese immigrants, like Jing-mei’s mother, came to America fleeing hardship or seeking better opportunities. They often faced discrimination and struggled to assimilate while maintaining their cultural identity.

The Model Minority Myth

The story touches on the “model minority” stereotype often applied to Asian Americans. Jing-mei’s mother’s insistence that her daughter become a prodigy reflects the pressure many Asian American children feel to excel academically and professionally.

Confucian Values

Some of the mother’s expectations for Jing-mei are rooted in Confucian values, which emphasize filial piety (respect for one’s parents and ancestors) and the importance of education and hard work.

Interpretation and Analysis

The Complexity of Mother-Daughter Relationships

At its core, “Two Kinds” is a story about the complex dynamics between mothers and daughters, particularly in immigrant families. The conflict between Jing-mei and her mother stems from love and a desire for the best, but is complicated by cultural differences and misunderstandings.

The Cost of the American Dream

While the story highlights the opportunities America offers, it also shows the potential costs of pursuing the American Dream. Jing-mei’s mother’s relentless push for her daughter to succeed creates tension and resentment, illustrating how the pursuit of success can strain family relationships.

Identity Formation in Immigrant Families

Jing-mei’s struggle to define herself in the face of her mother’s expectations reflects the challenges many children of immigrants face in forming their identity. The story explores how these individuals navigate between their family’s cultural heritage and their own experiences growing up in America.

The Power of Understanding and Reconciliation

As an adult, Jing-mei gains a new perspective on her childhood experiences and her mother’s motivations. This shift in understanding suggests the possibility of reconciliation and the importance of empathy in bridging generational and cultural divides.

Impact and Reception

“Two Kinds” has resonated with readers around the world since its publication. Many people, particularly those from immigrant families or with complex parental relationships, have found the story deeply relatable.

The story’s exploration of cultural identity, family expectations, and the immigrant experience has made it a popular choice for study in schools and universities. It has sparked discussions about assimilation, the American Dream, and the challenges faced by immigrant families.

Relevance Today

Despite being published over three decades ago, “Two Kinds” remains relevant today. Issues of cultural identity, generational conflict, and the pressure to succeed continue to be significant concerns for many families, particularly in immigrant communities.

The story also speaks to broader themes of self-discovery and the challenge of living up to others’ expectations, which are universal experiences that transcend cultural boundaries.

Conclusion

Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” is a rich, multilayered story that offers insights into the immigrant experience, mother-daughter relationships, and the pursuit of the American Dream. Through the conflict between Jing-mei and her mother, Tan explores complex themes of cultural identity, expectations, and self-discovery.

The story’s enduring popularity is a testament to its emotional resonance and the universality of its themes. By delving into the specific experiences of a Chinese-American family, Tan illuminates broader truths about family, identity, and the human experience.

As readers, we are invited to reflect on our own relationships, the expectations placed upon us, and the journey of understanding and reconciliation that often comes with adulthood. In this way, “Two Kinds” continues to speak to new generations of readers, offering insights and sparking important conversations about family, culture, and identity.

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FAQs

1. Q: What is the main conflict in “Two Kinds”? A: The main conflict is between Jing-mei and her mother over the mother’s expectations for Jing-mei to become a prodigy, specifically a piano prodigy.
2. Q: Why does Jing-mei’s mother want her to be a prodigy? A: Jing-mei’s mother believes in the American Dream and wants her daughter to achieve success and recognition in America. She also wants to prove that Chinese people can excel in American society.
3. Q: What does the piano symbolize in the story? A: The piano symbolizes different things for different characters. For Jing-mei’s mother, it represents potential success and acceptance in American society. For Jing-mei, it initially symbolizes her mother’s unrealistic expectations, but later becomes a symbol of their complex relationship.
4. Q: How does Jing-mei’s perspective change as she grows older? A: As an adult, Jing-mei gains a more nuanced understanding of her mother’s motivations and the cultural factors that influenced their relationship. She develops empathy for her mother’s experiences and desires.
5. Q: What role does cultural identity play in the story? A: Cultural identity is a central theme in “Two Kinds.” The story explores the tension between Chinese cultural values and American individualism, particularly as experienced by children of immigrants.
6. Q: Why is the story called “Two Kinds”? A: The title refers to a moment in the story when Jing-mei’s mother says there are only two kinds of daughters: those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind. It represents the central conflict between conformity and individuality in the story.
7. Q: How does the story reflect Amy Tan’s own experiences? A: While “Two Kinds” is fiction, it draws on Tan’s experiences growing up as the child of Chinese immigrants in America. Like Jing-mei, Tan had to navigate between her parents’ expectations and her own desires.
8. Q: What is the significance of the talent show scene? A: The talent show scene is a turning point in the story. Jing-mei’s poor performance leads to a confrontation with her mother and marks a shift in their relationship.
9. Q: How does the story explore the concept of the American Dream? A: The story examines both the allure and the potential pitfalls of the American Dream. While Jing-mei’s mother believes strongly in the possibility of success in America, the story also shows how the pursuit of this dream can create tension and conflict within families.
10. Q: What lessons can readers take from “Two Kinds”? A: The story offers several lessons, including the importance of understanding and empathy in family relationships, the challenges of navigating cultural differences, and the value of finding one’s own path while respecting family heritage.