Overview Of Two Kind Analysis

“Overview of ‘Two Kinds’” In Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton’s “Overview of ‘Two Kinds’” Jing-Mei’s mother longs for power in the local domestic sphere. Jing-Mei , the daughter, has other ideas about culture and power and the role that is played in both. Jing-Mei begins to learn the distinction of Chinese culture and American culture, and which gender holds the power in each. Piedmont-Marton explores the role of the daughter struggling to find an individual identity and the mother who has dreams of power and status. The idea of power began to originate in nineteenth century American literature, as the idea of a women’s sphere began to dominate. This type of literature explored the domestic lives of women and gave women influence over personal lives and the lives of the loved ones around them. Women began being portrayed as nurturing, morally certain almost making this idea seem “modern.” This type of fiction literature depicted women as more then just a housewife. However, unlike American literature, the mother in “Two Kinds” is far less nurturing and more forceful. The presence of the mother is so all consuming, Piedmont-Marton makes a note of the lack of mentioning Jing-Mei’s father receives.
The mother uses the household as base to interpret or attack the outside world. Gathering magazines from other people’s homes, and watching television, Jing-Mei’s mother forms this idea that “you can be anything you wanted to be in America.” The mother holds the belief that anyone, with enough effort, can become anything desired in America. According to Piedmont-Marton, this type of literature “helped carve out an autonomous realm where women could exert influence on their lives and the lives of their loved ones” (Piedmont-Marton). However, the mother takes the idea of household control more from Chinese