Asian Parents Vs. The Asian American Child

4 Pages 1049 Words

Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” and Janice Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note” are two literary pieces dealing with Asian American daughters and expectations their Asian parents hold. In “Two Kinds,” the daughter is an adult looking back on her pressured childhood with her mother. In “Suicide Note,” the poet, a young college student, who feels it is impossible to please her parents. Although the two works are similar, Tan uses characterization and symbolism to comment on the impact of the daughter’s relationship with her parents, while Mirikitani uses symbolism and voice to convey her message.
Amy Tan uses characterization very strongly in the short story “Two Kinds” for the daughter, Jing Mei. Characterization is used as a literary element through actions, dialogue, and the relationship with others to assist in building Jing Mei’s strong character. Jing-Mei’s mother is a determined Chinese immigrant with high ambitions for her daughter but little practical idea of how they can be achieved. Her mother is motivated by both her haunting past and her hopes for the future. This is seen is the opening paragraph of the story as Tan states, “America was where all my mother’s hopes lay. She had come to San Francisco in 1949 after losing everything in China”(320). Having come from a traditional Chinese culture, Jing-mei’s mother expects certain behavior of her daughter, such as obedience, respect for her parents, and gratitude for their sacrifices made on her behalf. But she is raising this daughter in America, and Jing-Mei is influenced by many factors that are in conflict with those traditional Chinese values. Her mother wants American success for her daughter, but she wants it on Chinese terms.
In characterizing Jing-Mei, Tan allows the reader a number of glimpses into the duality of human nature. Jing-Mei is neither fully Chinese nor fully American, but a blend of both. She is torn between the influences of these...