Relationship Of The American Dream In Amy Tans Two Kinds

â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan is a short story about a mother pushing her ambitions and dreams unto her daughter, Jing- mei. Born during the American Dream era, Jing-mei’s mother believed that anyone â€Å"could be anything [he/she] want to be in America. [He/She] could open a restaurant†¦ work for the government†¦ buy a house with almost no money down†¦ and become rich† (Tan 43). With this mindset, Jing-mei’s mother pushes her daughter to become a prodigy, thus the adventures of Jing-mei trying new things began: such as learning the names of capitals, becoming a ballerina, imitating Shirley Temple, and playing the piano. At first Jing-mei is excited and even believes that she could become a prodigy, but after various failed attempts Jing-mei realizes†¦show more content†¦Jing-mei realized that she was an ordinary individual and that she would not let her mother’s expectations change that. She no longer believed that she  "could be anything [she] wanted to be, [rather she] could only be [herself]† (Tan 44). In using a limited, first-person point of view, Tan is able to show Jing-mei’s emotional progress of following her mother’s dreams to finally realizing her own dream. Because this is a retelling of a mother-daughter relationship, Jing-mei is the protagonist and main character of this short story while her mother is the antagonist. Jing-mei is a dynamic character. At the beginning all she wanted to do was please her mother and accomplish her mothers version of the American Dream, but then her epiphany happened: she realized that this is not her dream, thus she rebelled and began to follow her own dream. On the other hand, Jing-mei’s mother is a static character. All her emotions, thoughts, and feelings surround one motive: for Jing-mei to become a prodigy. Although at the end she stops asking Jing-mei to do multiple hobbies, she still believed that Jing-mei had â€Å"natural talent [and that Jing-mei] could [still] be a genius if [she] wanted to† (Tan 48). In the end, Jing-mei’s mother realized that she no longer could control her daughter, yet that still did not stop her from hinting that her daughter still had the ability to become aShow MoreRelatedAmy Tan Overcoming Faulty Relationships and Self Identity Essay1514 Words   |  7 PagesAmy Tan struggled with many issues caused by her dual cultures, which she expressed thoroughly in her works. Daisy and John Tan were post war immigrants and the parents of Amy Tan (Amy Tan). Tan was given the Chinese name An-Mei, which stands for blessings from America (McCarthy). To them she was the blessing that they had received after their own struggles. Tan’s father came to America after WWII to become a minister (Amy Tan). 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