A Mothers Dream
Essay by review • December 8, 2010 • Study Guide • 643 Words (3 Pages) • 1,450 Views
A Mother's Dream
For a lot children growing up, our mothers have been an complete part of what made us who we are. Mostly all good mothers want the
best for their child and they are determine to do whatever it takes for them to get it. The central struggle in Amy Tan's story ''Two Kinds'' is a
battle of wills between the narrator, a young Chinese-American girl, and her mother, a Chinese immigrant. "Two Kinds'' is a coming-of-age story,
in which the narrator, Jing-mei, struggles to forge her own sense of identity in the face of her strong-willed mother's dream that she become a
"prodigy.''
Suyuan, Jing-mei's mother, believes in the American Dream. With hard work, she feels that Jing-Mei can be anything she wants to
be in this great country. After all, Suyuan does not want her daughter to ever suffer the kind of deprivation and tragedies that she had to endure in
China. But Jing-Mei has no desire to prove herself or excel in any field. She wants to take life as it comes. In her words, "I did not believe I could
be anything I wanted to be. I could only be me" Tan (679). Since Suyuan believes that anything can be accomplished and she uses her daughter
as her outlet to prove it. She continuously gives Jing-mei numerous test and eventually forces her to take piano lessons, which becomes
Suyuan's prime focus of her 'perfect daughter' determination. As Jing-mei takes her lesson she discovers that since her teacher was deaf she
could fool him and act like she was really learning but her practing habits soon came to light. Jing-mei was in a talent show and was suppose to
play a piece called, "Pleading Child" and when it came to the recital, Jing-mei was horrible.
Neither Jing-mei nor Suyuan is completely to blame for the piano recital disaster. It is Suyuan's non-stop nagging and insinuations
regarding her daughter's flaws that partially drive Jing-mei to refuse to practice seriously. The pain Jing-mei feels after the recital stems not just
from her own failure but also from her shame in having disappointed her mother. Suyuan's inflated expectations and excessive pressure
backfire, contributing to Jing-mei's failure to achieve what she might have achieved if left alone. Yet, at the
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