Loss Of Identity In A Short Story

Have you ever had trouble finding your identity? Has somebody ever wanted you to change? Or have you ever wanted to change? Always be yourself! In the short stories the characters are having trouble finding their identities. They are changing their ways so other people would like them better. In the short stories “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, and “The Bass, The River, And Sheila Mant” by W.D. Wetherell, the characters learn about their identities through significant moments. First, Amy Tan in “Fish Cheeks” has some trouble with things at a special holiday dinner. For example, when Amy fell in love with a boy named Robert, she wished she was more American. He was not Chinese but Amy was. He came over for Christmas Eve dinner where the food served was all raw Chinese food. Amy didn’t know what Robert would think. “What terrible disappointment

For instance, when Jing-mei and her mother first moved to America, Jing-mei’s mother wanted her to become a prodigy. “We didn’t immediately pick the right kind of prodigy. At first my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple.” (1). “No! I won’t! I screamed. She snapped off the TV, yanked me by the arm and pulled me off the floor.” (5). Jing-mei is realizing she is not another Shirley Temple. She does not want to do what her mother is making her do. Her mother wants her to be a genius. Jing-mei also realizes that she is not going to be a prodigy anytime soon. In the second quote she is telling her mother that she does not want to play the piano because it is not something that she really enjoys to do. She does not want to do what her mother is forcing her to do. She wants to do what she chooses to do and nobody else! To conclude, Jing-mei finally knows that she will not be the kind of person her mother wants her to be. She will just be herself. Not a prodigy, not a genius. Just