Jing Mei Character Analysis

Words: 871
Pages: 4

Katie Carkuff Professor Brooks

English 1102

8 February 2017

The Character of Jing-Mei by Amy Tan in “Two Kinds”

In the story “Two Kinds” presents a conflict of an overbearing mother and rebel daughter kind of relationship. Mrs. Woo the mother of main character Jing-Mei has big hopes and dreams for her young daughter. Jing-Mei on the other hand has other plans for her life as much as her mother pushes her to be the so called “prodigy child”. Jing-Mei also narrator tells the story through the eyes of her mother unworthiness. All of the information that we know about the main character is coming from herself through a series of events. While Jing-Mei is content with herself she finds herself in constant battle all the way up until adulthood. Throughout the story Jing-Mei realizes who she truly is from her behavior directed at not becoming this so called prodigy, her unwillingness to cooperate and adult life mindset.
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Mrs. Woo signed her daughter up for Piano lessons and when the main character was told that that she would be doing so the narrator stated “I felt like I had been sent to hell…I whined and kicked my foot”. Author Amy Tan points out in the story her narrator’s behavior to show that she disliked the idea of playing the piano like her mother wished. Sometimes in the story Mrs. Woo’s daughter would zone off into her own little world. Her mother would poke her arm to get her attention and say “you watch” (pg. 222). Mrs. Woo having to get on to her about watching so that she can be this prodigy demonstrates her behavior towards not wanting to be something she’s not. Other times Jing-Mei would just come out and bluntly say with absurd behavior that she wasn’t interested in what her mother wanted her to