Unseen Perspectives in Amy Tan's 'Two Kinds'

There are many perspectives that are not shown when a story is read. In the case of “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan the only standpoint we perceive is that of Jing-mei. Since the story is told in first-person point of view, we seem to sympathize more with Jing-mei’s frustration and anger more than we do the mother's outlooks and hope for her daughter. It is easy for us to understand that Jing-mei wants to be able to choose her own future. However, because we are learning all of the information from her we never accurately understand why the mother is pushing her daughter so hard to be something she clearly does not want to be. Although we know that Jing-mei’s mother lost everything in China like her mother and father, her home, her first husband, and

If we were to read the short story through the third person omniscient view, there would be a better understanding of the mother’s beliefs and why she is pushing so hard for her daughter to become this TV sensation. Jing-mei does not really understand why this is so important to her mother. Therefore, the reader is raided from truly understanding the mother’s hopes and fears for her daughter. When Jing-mei tells her mother she wishes she was not her daughter, her mother’s reaction probably would have been real sadness. When she yells at her daughter, it is out of frustration, but she probably regrets it. All of this, which is not seen in the first person perspective, would change the way the reader see’s Jing-mei and would possibly change the way the reader sympathized for the way her mother has been treating her in the story.

Without a point of view, the plot is nonexistent. Point of view impacts every part of the plot. The plot is determined on what and especially how the story is noticed, visualized, and captured. Rather the story is told through first, second or third person, you will always be aware of a specific tone or mood of the story, since each and every standpoint has a different