Two kinds Two kinds is a fictional story written by the Chinese-American author Amy Tan. She was born in Oakland California. In this story, the writer explains the conflict and the problem of the mother-daughter relationships and also reveals about American life and the American dream. In this story, Nikon is shown as the main protagonist and the whole story is all about the writers feeling towards event during her childhood. The author also tries to explain the mother-daughter relationship and reveals the generational gap in between the mother and daughter.
The author also illustrates the feeling of the children when their parents try to force them to be obedient rather than following their path. According to writer’s mother everybody can be anything in America with great devotion and determination and hardworking. The narrator’s mother was a very optimist lady. She thought that it is easy to fulfill the American dreams if she/ he has a great determination and devotion to the work. She always wanted her daughter to be best in each and everything. She believed that anyone one could be somebody in America without money.
At first she wanted her daughter to be a Chinese Shirley Temple and took her to the beauty training school but Nikan could not stand to the expectation. Every time Ni-kan mother tries to irritate her in finding the particular kind of prodigy inside her. As she works in different houses in cleaning rooms, she used to bring a lot of newspaper. She tries to find the pages that contain the children’s with special talents and she forces her to be the children as same as in a newspaper, but her daughter fails to stand on her mother expectation and used to shout towards her daughter.
For example, once Nikan’s mother found the news article in the newspaper that a three years boy knows the capital of all the states and capital of most of the European countries. So at that instant of time her mother asked the capital of Finland, and she could not answer. Also after the Ed Sullivian show, the narrator mothers wants her daughter to have a prodigy on piano, and then she send her to the a retired piano teacher for learning piano and on the performance day she again could not stand in the expectation of her mother. Amy tans two kinds can be analyzes from both the mother’s and the daughter point of view.
Nikan’s mother was always worried about her daughter’s future. Everyone wants their children’s to be successful in their life and the story also writers wants her daughter to be someone. She always wants her daughter to be obedient toward her and follow all he’s mother path. She always forced her daughter in finding a different kind of prodigy. As she has her philosophy that everyone can be anything in America, she always has a high expectation from her daughter. nikan’s mother always shares explicitly her belief to her daughter and sometimes even pushes her to try out the new stuff.
This clearly illustrates the mothers love her daughter. Although it seems her mother forces her daughter Nikan hard and be rude toward her, she always cares for her. However, there is one argument that does her mother cares for her daughter? In the story, the mother narrator response to her daughter that “who ask you to be a genius, I just asked you to be your best” (Two kinds p546 par10). These statements raised a question mark toward the love of her mother toward her daughter. This clearly depicts that she pushed her daughter to learn and try new skills.
Also, the mother stated that “only two kinds of daughter, those who are obedient and those who follow their mind” (two kinds p550 Para 8). the narrator’s mother wants her daughter to be obedient and follow her path. She never asks her daughter what she wants to be. This shows that her mother was rude to her daughter as she was concerned with her future. In the story, the reader can understand the stress on the narrator’s face. She tried her best to stand on her mother expectation but every time it ends with disappointment. she even left her hope of finding a prodigy on herself and felt that something inside her began to die.
She followed her mother’s path as an obedient daughter and took her mother’s expectation as her responsibility. Her mother has an eternal hope on her and every time she feel disappointment. although her mother used to be strict with her, she cares what her mother thinks of her. For example when she was playing piano, she knows she has disappointed her mother, but her emotional gesture influences her. It shows the writer never has negative feeling towards her mother. She feels sorry when she could not stand on her mother expectation. She also thought that she was not given enough chance to proof her prodigy.
The narrator never plays the piano entirely and even don’t remember the short songs. It means she never concentrated toward her work. In the story, it clearly shows the generational differences and its effects on the mother and daughter relationship. The narrator’s mother has a hard experienced in China and lost her husband that makes her lay all her hope on her daughter. She always wanted her daughter to be like other. She never wants her daughter to be lagging behind regarding knowledge and skills. From the first she believed that everybody can be anyone in America without power and money.
Nikan’s mother wants her daughter to follow her path that was a way of the American girl at that period. She never asked her daughter what she wants to be. In the story, there are many self-righteous opinions that seem to be ironic for example the aggression of the mother toward her daughter, her piano teacher’s self-praise claiming him as Beethoven. This statement clearly shows the characteristics differences between the narrator and the other people. In this story, Nikan wants to get her mother’s compliment by following her path but every time she got critic instead.
Nikan’s mom never answer any question and instead told her to put more effort into trying to be the best. Her mother always responses “not the best because you are not trying” (two kind p546 Para 7). The title of the story Two kinds reveals that there her only two kinds of daughter one who is always obedient toward their parents and one who follows their mind. In this story also the writer’s mother wanted her daughter to be obedient by following her path. As she was optimistic, she always wants her daughter to be successful in the future thus forced her daughter to have the hat she never wanted anted to be.
She has a high expectation towards her daughter but every time she fails to stand to the expectation. The narrator also feels as if she could not handle her responsibility and let her mother’s expectation down. From the Chinese Shirley Temple to the piano lesson the narrator mother’s always responses saying not the best because you are not trying. Everymen the writer had the disappointment on herself for not performing well. From the other points of view, the mother has a genuine love towards her daughter. In conclusion, the story has revealed the mother-daughter relationship and also the generational gap between them.
