Comparing Two Kinds And I Stand Here Ironing By Tillie Olsen
A Parents Role in a Childs Life
The role of a nurturing parent is essential in the emotional growth of a child. A parent’s role can have a major impact on how the way a child’s thought process far beyond their childhood. In both Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” and Tillie Olsen’s “I Stand Here Ironing, Both authors write about two different stories that share a universal theme about the relationship between mother and daughter. However, the protagonist and antagonists have different viewpoints on their thinking. Both author’s use of theme, emotional dialogue and plot gives the reader an idea of the mother’s impact on each of their daughters lives. In “Two Kinds” the author uses strong emotional dialogue between the characters to illustrate the immense pressure she felt growing up trying to live up to her mother’s expectations. In one instance the in the story the mother tells her she has the potential to be a Chinese Shirley Temple. The story takes place in the 1950s and at that time Shirley Temple was the poster child of what every mother in America wanted their kids to be like at the time. Nine year old Jing Mei is experiencing rejection and frustration while growing up. In I Stand Here Ironing the author also uses the mother as a narrator to tell a story of the emotionally distant relationship between …show more content…
“Before going to bed at night I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink and when I saw only my face staring back and then it would always be this ordinary face I began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl! I made a high pitched noises like a crazed animal trying to scratch out the face in the mirror” (Tan517). The reader can assume that her mother’s high expectations are starting to take a toll on her self-esteem. Jing-mei wants to be accepted not to be changed according to her mother’s unrealistic expectations on her such as trying to groom her to become a
The role of a nurturing parent is essential in the emotional growth of a child. A parent’s role can have a major impact on how the way a child’s thought process far beyond their childhood. In both Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” and Tillie Olsen’s “I Stand Here Ironing, Both authors write about two different stories that share a universal theme about the relationship between mother and daughter. However, the protagonist and antagonists have different viewpoints on their thinking. Both author’s use of theme, emotional dialogue and plot gives the reader an idea of the mother’s impact on each of their daughters lives. In “Two Kinds” the author uses strong emotional dialogue between the characters to illustrate the immense pressure she felt growing up trying to live up to her mother’s expectations. In one instance the in the story the mother tells her she has the potential to be a Chinese Shirley Temple. The story takes place in the 1950s and at that time Shirley Temple was the poster child of what every mother in America wanted their kids to be like at the time. Nine year old Jing Mei is experiencing rejection and frustration while growing up. In I Stand Here Ironing the author also uses the mother as a narrator to tell a story of the emotionally distant relationship between …show more content…
“Before going to bed at night I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink and when I saw only my face staring back and then it would always be this ordinary face I began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl! I made a high pitched noises like a crazed animal trying to scratch out the face in the mirror” (Tan517). The reader can assume that her mother’s high expectations are starting to take a toll on her self-esteem. Jing-mei wants to be accepted not to be changed according to her mother’s unrealistic expectations on her such as trying to groom her to become a