Baguio, Ritche Mr. Daniel Lambert Eng 028 #6018 June 30, 2014 Analysis of “Two Kinds” “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan is a story between a Chinese immigrant mother and an American-raised daughter’s journey in the land of opportunity, America. The Author expresses the theme of cultural, generational, and personal struggle of the American Dream through the use of characters, setting, plot, and symbols. The point of view is told through the character, Jing-Mei, who was her mother’s hope for honor, pride, and great expectation by becoming someone, like a “prodigy” (382). Jing-mei’s mother incredible belief that you “could be anything you wanted to be in America” (382) is not only a pronounced contrast to the land she left in 1949 but also of her daughter’s perspective of the American Dream. Both women seeming diverse idea of the American Dream is best reflected through their personality, actions, and conflicts.
“I am an American citizen and she is no” is the opening line of “Two ways to Belong in America” the article written by Bharati Mukherjee. This is a story about one sister choosing to mainstream into American culture, while the other Mira chooses not to. Mira and Bharati is product of brain drain. They grow up in Calcutta, India and left that to study in Detroit to attend college to further their education and to return home. But, plans changed when Mira meet her husband an immigrant of India with a student’s visa and they later on married.
The author, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni of her short story, “Clothes” depicts the importance, significance, and meaning of each color worn. Sumita, “Mita,” for short, is a young Indian woman living in a small village located in India. Mita, who lives with her parents, are very much into their heritage, traditions and morals. Within their culture, the father must find a suitable husband for his daughter(s). Mita’s father agreed for his daughter’s hand in marriage, to Somesh Sen, a gentleman living in California, United States of America and a business owner.
I see American culture as a culture of dreamers, who believe that material shape (which is not the same as materialism) can be given to dreams. They believe that one’s station in life-poverty, education, family background- does not determine one’s fate (Muhkerjee p.29) Jasmine had dreams, and being born without money didn’t determine her fate. Even though her father mocked and laughed at her when she told him her dream of becoming a doctor. In their culture, you get married to someone you don’t even know, get pregnant and raise children. Also, in their culture when their spouse dies, like Jasmine’s husband, they cannot get remarried.
She finds it possible from what she’s told to see the positive factors from these types of marriages as she considers how different America is while comparing divorce rates. The story takes place in a period of 6 years, while Serena goes back and forth, while helping one of her friend’s son find a suitable wife. Time and patience become a requirement as she tries to learn what the essential qualification is needed to find the ideal bride. She comprehends that it’s not as easy as just choosing someone but actually taking the time to consider all of the circumstances. With impatience and no precaution, choosing the wrong bride would not just ruin the family’s reputation but also the chance for their other kids to have an opportunity for marriage.
She had worked really hard and taken lots of time trying to make Jing Mei a prodigy because Jing Mei was her last hope of becoming a “somebody” or famous. Jing Mei’s mother also expected her to be a prodigy because she emigrated from China; she thought America was the land of opportunity and “you could be anything you wanted to be in America [and] you could become instantly famous.”(199) Jing Mei’s mother didn’t know what she wanted her to do, so she experimented. This is the Inciting Force. It is the first sign of conflict. First she tried dancing and singing, “At first my mother thought I could become a Chinese Shirley Temple” (200).
As his reliogion, it is known that Bengali are supposed to have an arranged marrige, for that he did not want to do. Asking his parents for his blessing was out of the question considering that Deborah was an American and it was not an arranged marriage. The Family that he would go eat dinner at every night had told them that there blessing was enough to get married and to tell his parents back in Berlin what was going on. Although they did not approve of Deborah and his decision, he married her anyways. When the two’s wedding came, only deborahs family attended it.
Ruth gives Gogol an idea of what “type” of girls he likes, who are born and raised in the American culture. Gogol liked having some experience with being pure American. At this point of the story, Gogol felt more like he wanted to date girls that were in the American culture, so when he and Ruth’s relationship relationship ended, he went even more extreme. On Gogol’s train ride home for spring break he met a girl named Maxine. When they started dating Gogol
Jing-mei’s mood seems skeptical as she opens the story this way. Her mother came to America to start new because she lost everything in China. A fresh start is what her mother wanted, a chance to begin again. As Jing-mei grows her mother wants her to be the best at something, because that is what it is suppose to be like in America. What Jing-mei fails to see is that her mother only wants the best for her.
She wants Tom to attend college and make something of himself, but he lacks ambition. Amanda refuses to see Laura as a cripple with eccentric behavior; instead, she dreams of marrying her daughter to a gentleman caller who will take care of her forever. Both of Amanda's children also escape from reality. Tom hates his boring and depressing existence and escapes by going to the movies and dreaming of his own real life adventures. He thinks about sailing to South Sea islands and going on safaris; he even admits that "I seem dreamy."