Amy Tan Two Kinds

1185 Words5 Pages
The relationship between mothers and daughters is far from perfect, yet it has the foundations of love that can never be destroyed. There are many misunderstandings between these two women. Unfortunately, they are sometimes left unresolved until after the mother’s death. Two Kinds, by Amy Tan uses this relationship and all of its obstacles to teach the readers important themes about life. The most important idea in this story is the positive influence that a mother can have on her daughter. This is seen in the relationship between the Chinese mother and her Americanized daughter. There is also a conflict between appearance and reality and a conflict between tradition and modernity. Psychologist Roni Cohen-Sandler notes the main cause of mother-daughter conflict is in this society, women historically have been taught not to speak up or make waves. During adolescence, however, girls often take their anger out on their mothers. And in turn, the mothers feel ill-equiped to manage their daughters’ anger. The movie Mothers and Daughters (Bessai 2008) reflects these themes. This story outlines the lives of three Mother-Daughter pairs. Brenda is the typical “invisible woman” who is unexpectedly discarded by her husband following a life of sacrifice. Always daddy’s girl, Kate’s relationship with her father has always been more important to her and her anger misdirects towards Brenda. When Brenda’s husband fails to return for dinner one night, her emotionally estranged daughter Kate appears in his stead, armed with an email declaring his love for another (much younger) woman, as well as his intention never to return. Always daddy’s girl, Kate’s relationship with her father has always taken precedence and her anger misdirects towards Brenda. Left to deal with his abandonment, Kate is hurt by his disappearance, but Brenda rediscovers her own voice, buried for decades

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