On The Way To Rainy Mountain Analysis

There is a very distinct difference in the two stories we read. In the first story, “On the Way to Rainy Mountain”, the author reflects on her grandmother’s life, the culture she grew up in, and the traditions that were important to her. Many of the author’s memories of her grandmother were centered around her prayers. Her last memory of her grandmother was of her praying in her native language, Kiowa.
In the second story, “Two Kinds”, we get a glimpse into the author’s childhood. She grew up in a home with high expectations. Her mother expected her to be perfect, a prodigy. Before moving to America, she’d lost most of her family, as well as her twin daughters, but she moved on, with the hope that things would get better. She pushed all of

her hopes onto her only daughter left, trying to force her to become something she was not, tearing the two of them apart. The author began to resent her mother, and eventually, her mother gave up on her.
The main difference between these two stories is the the way the authors feel about their respective cultures and traditions. In the first story, the author respects and accepts her heritage, seeing it as a part of who she is. In the other story, however, the author does not accept her heritage. causing her to clash with her mother. The difference in these stories portrays the way different upbringings and the way parents treat and react to their children can define how they end up, or their acceptance of being molded by their parents.