In the onset of the story we find Jing-Mei's mother convincing her that she "can be prodigy…" (491) and that she "can be best anything." (491) Deciding that Jing-Mei's destiny is to become a prodigy, her mother takes control and begins to push Jing-Mei towards this goal. At first Jing-Mei is, "just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so." (491) By saying these things, Jing-Mei's mother tries to create an ideal identity for her. Jing-Mei's mother begins to test her with questions and she cooperates. But as time goes on and the tests her mother gives her gets harder, Jing-Mei begins to be resentful and unwilling to cooperate. She thinks to herself, "I won't be what I'm not." (492) This shows a child resisting it's parents control.
Even as Jing-Mei loses interest in becoming a prodigy, her mother continues to push her on. She decides to arrange piano lessons for Jing-Mei without consulting her first. In doing these things, Jing-Mei's mother wants to control not only her actions but also her dreams, and she will not tolerate disobedience. She says, "Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!" (497) We can see that Jing-Mei truly resents her mother's decisions and fights her control. Jing-Mei tells her mother that, "I wish I weren't your daughter. I wish you weren't my mother". (497) Then