Jing Mei In Two Kinds
Two Kinds is a story about a Mother’s relationship with her daughter. Jing Mei’s mother came to The United States in 1949 from China and resided in San Francisco, California. Her time living China, she had lost all hope when she had lost her entire family. She had remarried with her second husband and had Jing Mei. When she moved to the United States she was in the hopes of pursuing her dreams in her daughter. She imposed upon her daughter Jing Mei her high expectations for her. “At first my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple.” (Tan 1), and it all began from then on. Taking her to the beauty salon and dressing her up as this perfect little girl, from piano lessons to having perfect grades in school, and becoming a prodigy. “In
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fact, in the beginning, I was just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so. I pictured this prodigy part of me as many different images, and I tried each one on for size. I was a dainty ballerina girl standing by the curtain, waiting to hear the music that would send me floating on my tiptoes. I was like the Christ child lifted out of the straw manger, crying with holy indignity. I was Cinderella stepping from her pumpkin carriage with sparkly cartoon music filling the air. In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect: My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk or to clamor for anything. But sometimes the prodigy in me became impatient. "If you don't hurry up and get me out of here, I'm disappearing for good," it warned. “And then you'll always be nothing." (Tan 1).
Jing Mei is a nine-year-old Chinese-American girl living in China Town, San Francisco. A daughter of immigrant parents there’s a lot expected of her. She lives in an apartment with her parents she struggles with who she wants to be and what is highly expected of her and to become a prodigy. "Only two kinds of daughters," "Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!" (Tan 5). Jing Mei becomes rebellious against her mother because how far she’s pushed her with so many expectations but at the end, she realizes that her mother just wanted the best for her.
Jing Mei’s characterizations in “Two Kinds” shows her as impatient, stubborn, and mature.
Jing Mei is tired of how her mother treats her and how she is trying to turn her into something that she’s not. She uses her stubbornness to take advantage of her piano instructor when she had learned why he had retired. Half the time she did not play and abused her piano lessons. At the contest Jing Mei’s performance was horrible. Her Maturity was when she had regretted saying the words she had said to her mother as a child “"Then I wish I weren't your daughter, I wish you weren't my mother," I shouted. As I said these things I got scared. It felt like worms and toads and slimy things crawling out of my chest, but it also felt good, that this awful side of me had surfaced, at last.” (Tan 5), “Then I wish I'd never been born!" I shouted. “I wish I were dead! Like them.” (Tan …show more content…
5).
“Two Kinds” shows symbolism throughout the story.
Amy uses symbolism to show the struggles between mothers and daughters. Jing Mei’s mother believed that living in America you can do anything you put your heart into and succeed. After losing her entire life in China she puts these expectations in her daughter. “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. You could work for the government and get good retirement. You could buy a house with almost no money down. You could become rich. You could become instantly famous. "Of course, you can be a prodigy, too," my mother told me when I was nine. "You can be best anything.” (Tan
1).
Mothers have a very valuable role in our lives. When we are in need there the one’s we run to. When there is no one else she is the one we can depend on no matter what. The one we can count on. There the ones who love us and forgives us when others won't. A mother is a daughter’s role model. We are what we are and become because of our mothers.
fact, in the beginning, I was just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so. I pictured this prodigy part of me as many different images, and I tried each one on for size. I was a dainty ballerina girl standing by the curtain, waiting to hear the music that would send me floating on my tiptoes. I was like the Christ child lifted out of the straw manger, crying with holy indignity. I was Cinderella stepping from her pumpkin carriage with sparkly cartoon music filling the air. In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect: My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk or to clamor for anything. But sometimes the prodigy in me became impatient. "If you don't hurry up and get me out of here, I'm disappearing for good," it warned. “And then you'll always be nothing." (Tan 1).
Jing Mei is a nine-year-old Chinese-American girl living in China Town, San Francisco. A daughter of immigrant parents there’s a lot expected of her. She lives in an apartment with her parents she struggles with who she wants to be and what is highly expected of her and to become a prodigy. "Only two kinds of daughters," "Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!" (Tan 5). Jing Mei becomes rebellious against her mother because how far she’s pushed her with so many expectations but at the end, she realizes that her mother just wanted the best for her.
Jing Mei’s characterizations in “Two Kinds” shows her as impatient, stubborn, and mature.
Jing Mei is tired of how her mother treats her and how she is trying to turn her into something that she’s not. She uses her stubbornness to take advantage of her piano instructor when she had learned why he had retired. Half the time she did not play and abused her piano lessons. At the contest Jing Mei’s performance was horrible. Her Maturity was when she had regretted saying the words she had said to her mother as a child “"Then I wish I weren't your daughter, I wish you weren't my mother," I shouted. As I said these things I got scared. It felt like worms and toads and slimy things crawling out of my chest, but it also felt good, that this awful side of me had surfaced, at last.” (Tan 5), “Then I wish I'd never been born!" I shouted. “I wish I were dead! Like them.” (Tan …show more content…
5).
“Two Kinds” shows symbolism throughout the story.
Amy uses symbolism to show the struggles between mothers and daughters. Jing Mei’s mother believed that living in America you can do anything you put your heart into and succeed. After losing her entire life in China she puts these expectations in her daughter. “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. You could work for the government and get good retirement. You could buy a house with almost no money down. You could become rich. You could become instantly famous. "Of course, you can be a prodigy, too," my mother told me when I was nine. "You can be best anything.” (Tan
1).
Mothers have a very valuable role in our lives. When we are in need there the one’s we run to. When there is no one else she is the one we can depend on no matter what. The one we can count on. There the ones who love us and forgives us when others won't. A mother is a daughter’s role model. We are what we are and become because of our mothers.