The Average Comparison

Nancy Arroyo Ruffin once said, “the best thing parents can do for their children is allow them to be who they were born to be.” In both Amy Tan’s Two Kinds and W.H. Auden’s The Average, the protagonist’s parents work for their children to lead great lives, which the children in turn reject because they see themselves as average; however in Two Kinds the protagonist’s negative self-image comes from a desire to spite her mother, whereas in The Average it stems from the protagonist’s aspiration for an ordinary life. In both works the protagonist’s parents come from a life of hardship and work extremely hard for their children to be able to achieve greatness. In Two Kinds the protagonist’s mother comes from China and “[believes] you [can] be anything
In Two Kinds, the protagonist’s mother is determined to make her daughter a “prodigy,” however her daughter does not want this because she believes she is too average and not worthy of becoming famous. The protagonist’s denial of her parents wishes becomes evident when she states that she “[hates] the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations.” Additionally, her self-view is shown to the reader when she “[looks] in the mirror above the bathroom sink, and [sees] only [her] ugly face staring back.” She says that this is when she “[understands] that it would always be this ordinary face,” and she thinks of herself as “such a sad, ugly girl.” This shows how her rejection of a life of fame and greatness is directly caused by her negative self view. Likewise, in The Average the protagonist also rejects his parents’ desires for a life of greatness far away form the difficult farms where he is raised. The protagonist’s parents believe that “no sensible career [is] good enough” for their son. Nonetheless, he still thinks that “only a hero could deserve such love.” This shows how he does not believe he deserves the love and labour of his parents. Moreover, his desertion of his parents’ dreams are shown when the protagonist “[sees] the shadow of an Average Man / Attempting the exceptional, and [runs].” This demonstrates how he thinks of himself
In Two Kinds the protagonist believes that she is average and not deserving of a prodigal life out of spite for her mother. A large component of the protagonist’s rejection of her mother’s wishes comes after her decision that she is not good enough to become a mastermind. The protagonist vows to herself that she “will not let her [mother] change [her] ... [she] won’t be what [she is] not.” Furthermore, when the protagonist discovers that her mother traded housecleaning services for her daughter to have piano lessons, she says that she “felt as though [she] had been sent to hell” because of the lengths her mother goes to in attempts to achieve something her daughter does not want, which leads to the protagonist’s spite for her mother. In addition, she illustrates that her negative self-image stems from spite for her mother when she yells at her mother and says, “You want me to be something that I’m not! I’ll never be the kind of daughter that you want me to be!” This shows that her mother’s raised expectations cause her to see herself in an extremely negative light, and deliberately not want to become a prodigy since she does not want her mother to get her way. Similarly, the protagonist in The Average also thinks he deserves a mediocre life. However, he believes that a life of mediocrity is the life he deserves because all he wishes for