Summary Of Two Kinds By Amy Tan

Amy Tan the author of “Two Kinds” focuses on the relationship between a mother and daughter. Suyan Woo moved to America after leaving her first husband and twin girls behind in China. The mother wanted to find her twin daughters but they died before she could do so. She left China and moved to America in the hopes of the endless opportunities. She remarries and has a daughter in America. The mother wants her daughter to try all of these different activities and become successful in one of them. First the mother tries to get her to be become a child actress but that did not work out. Another activity she made her try was intellectual tests from magazines she read. Again this activity did not work out like the mother thought. Finally the mother tried to get her to take piano lessons. Mr.

At this point in the story she believes she is a child prodigy and that she will end up succeeding. After she started playing she realized that she was not hitting the right notes and could see the disappointment in the parent’s faces. After the talent show her mother continued making her practice playing the piano. Jing Mei stands up to her mother and upsets her by wishing that she was never born. After this incident the piano was never mentioned again. Suyan wanted her daughter Jing Mei to become a child prodigy because she never got that opportunity to do so.
Suyan pressures her daughter because she did not get the same opportunity and wants to see her excel in America. I believe she uses parental pressure throughout the story because the mother wants her to do something and to do it well. Her mother pressures her to try all of these activities and the daughter ends up feeling like she can never please her mother. Also, Jing Mei fears that her mother will not love her for who she is unless she is able to succeed in America. Towards the end of the story the daughter got fed up with the mother because she is tired of doing everything the mother