Mother Knows Best In Amy Tran's Short Story 'Two Kinds'
Mother Knows Best
Once one becomes part of the parents only club, one is expected to make the right decisions for one's child. Which is, giving one's child a chance at every possibility to obtain success. But, how much of it is truly for one's child and how much is for one's own personal fulfillment? In the short story by Amy Tran ‘Two kinds” we see into the life of a young Chinese American and her mother, who wishes for nothing less than her daughter to be a protege. As readers learn about how Mother goes about with this desire, one comes to question her motives. Does she want this because she believes this is truly what her daughter needs or, does she want this for herself, in order to fill a void left by her past? This selfish desire causes a clash between mother and daughter.
Accepting one has a problem is the hard, so one subconsciously stays in denial. When asked why Mother is so content in making Jing-Mae and genious, “My mother slapped me. ‘who ask you to be genius?’ she shouted. ‘Only ask you be you best. For you sake, You think I want you be genious? Hnnh! What for! Who ask you!’“ (5). Mother responds with anger and does not answer her devastated …show more content…
After experiencing the loss of everyone and everything she's ever known, Mother believes America is where it will all get better. “America was where all my mother’s hopes lay, She had come to San Francisco in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls. But she never looked back with regret. There were so many ways for things to get better” (1). With high expectations Mother believes her daughter will be nothing but extraordinary, she believes that's where true fulfillment lies. With nothing else so hope and go towards Mother is determined to make something out of her current situation even if it means fighting her daughter for
Once one becomes part of the parents only club, one is expected to make the right decisions for one's child. Which is, giving one's child a chance at every possibility to obtain success. But, how much of it is truly for one's child and how much is for one's own personal fulfillment? In the short story by Amy Tran ‘Two kinds” we see into the life of a young Chinese American and her mother, who wishes for nothing less than her daughter to be a protege. As readers learn about how Mother goes about with this desire, one comes to question her motives. Does she want this because she believes this is truly what her daughter needs or, does she want this for herself, in order to fill a void left by her past? This selfish desire causes a clash between mother and daughter.
Accepting one has a problem is the hard, so one subconsciously stays in denial. When asked why Mother is so content in making Jing-Mae and genious, “My mother slapped me. ‘who ask you to be genius?’ she shouted. ‘Only ask you be you best. For you sake, You think I want you be genious? Hnnh! What for! Who ask you!’“ (5). Mother responds with anger and does not answer her devastated …show more content…
After experiencing the loss of everyone and everything she's ever known, Mother believes America is where it will all get better. “America was where all my mother’s hopes lay, She had come to San Francisco in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls. But she never looked back with regret. There were so many ways for things to get better” (1). With high expectations Mother believes her daughter will be nothing but extraordinary, she believes that's where true fulfillment lies. With nothing else so hope and go towards Mother is determined to make something out of her current situation even if it means fighting her daughter for