The Struggle In Amy Tan's Two Kinds

Amy Tan’s short story Two Kinds revolves around Jing-mei, a young girl whose life consists of trying to please her mother and then resenting her. At a young age, Jing-mei aspires to greatness along with her mother. As time went on, Jing-mei began to rebel against her and the times when she attempted to see some kind of special talent in her. She continually never tries her best and dismisses her mother’s efforts. Through thoughts, conflict, and actions, the author reveals Jing Mei as a determined and independent girl who is unappreciative of others. The author’s use of thoughts help to characterize Jing-mei as determined. She is determined to be herself despite what her mother wants for her. Jing-mei states, “I had new thoughts, willful

She works against her mother on many issues, doing what she wants to do and often times disobeying her. Her disobedience is shown in the rebellion against the nightly talent tests. She states, “So now when my mother presented her tests, I performed listlessly, my head propped on one arm. I pretended to be bored” (2). The fighting between Jing- mei and her mother also shows Jing-mei to be independent. She acts differently than her mother wants her to but Jing-mei refuses to change. She follows her own thinking and subsequently disobeyes her mother, saying, “‘I'm not going to play anymore,’ I said nonchalantly. ‘Why should I? I'm not a genius.’... ‘No!’ I said, and I now felt stronger, as if my true self had finally emerged. So this was what had been inside me all along. ‘No! I won't!’ I screamed” (6). Jing-mei thinks independently and refuses to do what others ask of her. Jing-mei does not waver in her disregard for her mother’s wishes for her and does not compromise or try to work out any issues. She says things without any remorse, only caring about herself, saying she “wished she were dead! Like them [sisters]”(7) and "then I wish I weren't your daughter, I wish you weren't my