Amy Tan Two Kinds Essay

In the short story, “Two Kinds”, written by Amy Tan, she reflects on her experiences during her childhood. Like most adolescents, the pressure to be equal (or perhaps greater) than your peers is something that most have undergone, whether that be in sports or academics. Similarly, Amy Tan, or Jing-Mei, reluctantly followed her mother’s prying through the course of her elementary years; and, as a result, the unrealistic expectations of Jing-Mei’s mother ultimately change her perspective of who she is as an individual.
When Jing-Mei and her parents move to the United States from China, the initial awe of American culture immediately began to influence her mother - magazines and television ads would display numerous child prodigies that were gifted in mathematics, music, and dance. Confident that her child could become proficient in these activities like the other children had, she began to push her to do just about any activity Jing-Mei was certain to excel at. However, as the months progress with no luck, Jing-Mei loses confidence in her abilities and begins to hate the comparisons that her mother makes between her and her peers. From these instances, you can see the shifting attitude in Jing-Mei - she no
Listening to the beautifully played music, and seeing the similarities between the little girl and her child, Jing-Mei’s mother immediately signs her daughter up for piano lessons. “Why don’t you like me the way I am? I’m not a genius! I can’t play the piano…” Appalled, but unable to sway her mother, Jing-Mei reluctantly begins going to piano lessons. She follows the sheet music almost perfectly, but not precisely - she plays the music how she wants it to sound; her hands are positioned how she finds most comfortable. She plays sloppily, and lazily, hoping to spite her mother. Jing-Mei didn’t want to be like those other children, she wanted her mother to accept how she