Amy Tan A Pair Of Tickets Analysis

In todays world many parents and kids do not see eye to eye. There are many reason why this is so. This can be seen through Amy Tan’s, “A Pair of Tickets and Alice Walker’s “Everyday use”. Kids have conflicting thoughts with their parents because of age difference, lack of experience and worldly changes.

Age difference is one of the main reasons parents and kids do not always agree on the matter at hand. A kid does not always understand why a parent may give them an answer that they do not understand. A big part of this comes from maturity. In Tan’s, “Everyday Use”, Jane denies that she is Chinese, “…had vigorously denied that I had any Chinese whatsoever below my skin.” (Tan 241) Even though Jane denied being Chinese her mother new that

one day she would realize that part of her was missing. Jane realizes this when she is in the shower at the hotel, “ But now I ask the questions mostly because I want to know the answers. What was that pork stuff she used to make that had the texture of sawdust? what were the names of the uncles who died in Shanghai?” ( Tan 248) Jane’s mother realized that one day she would regret everything that she once denied. Her mother new that because of Jane’s age and maturity that she did not grasp what she was denying. Today parents can give advice on how to handle a situation because they have been through many of the situations that their kids lack experience in.
Experience plays a big role when it comes to parents and their kids agreeing or disagreeing.

One thing that a kid must understand is that parents have been down the road that they are going down. Parents have experienced the good and the bad. They know the consequences and benefits of certain things. This can apply to anything in life from small decisions to life changing decisions later in life. A daughter or son must always remember to respect the input from a parent. In Tan’s, “A Pair of Tickets” Jane does not realize why being “Chinese” was always so important to her mother until she was thirty-six years old and on her way to China for the first time. Jane’s mother had experienced hardships in China, “…little babies she was forced to abandon on a road…”(Tan 242) Jane’s mother had a heart for China and realized one day that Jane would too. For this reason she never let Jane forget that she was Chinese. Her mother was right. Jane began to realize what she had denied for so long. Experience plays a big role in parents and kids agreeing, but so does how the world

changes.
The world changes day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute.

Parents and Kids may not always agree on a certain matter because of this. In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”, college was not a big deal when Dee’s mother was growing up. Dee’s mother never had an education growing up, “I never had an education myself.” (Walker 270) Dee’s mother does not see the purpose of an education. She has lived her entire life without one and even though in times it might have been hard she made it through them. Dee, on the other hand, realizes how the world is changing and that to be competitive in the world she lives in she must have a college eduction. Different views of parents and kids can be seen in todays society through technology. In todays society technology plays a huge role in where the world is heading. Parents today did not grow up with the gadgets and gizmos that the kids today do. Parents are always telling kids to just pick up the phone and call someone instead of texting them. Kids argue that it is the only thing they know. Communication through a phone or person is much personable, but in today’s society texting is the

mainstream.
In conclusion, there will never be a time that a parent and kid agree on everything. A kid must learn to obey and listen to a parent who is older and more experienced. But in the end a kid and parent will not agree on certain situations because of age difference, lack of experience and worldly changes.