Amy Tan is a prolific Asian-American writer who has successfully depicted the feelings of children of Chinese immigrants in the United States. Most of her work focused on the relationship dynamics of mothers and daughters inspired by her contrasting experiences with her strict Chinese mother. His bestselling novel, The Joy Luck Club, was made into a film of the same title. The short story "Two Kinds" was based on that work. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In “Two Kinds,” the narrator is also the protagonist as she recounts her stressful relationship with her overbearing mother. It reflects the big difference between two generations, one that comes from traditional Chinese upbringing and another that has been heavily influenced by Americanized values. The title itself reveals the opposite poles that seem to be the theme of the story, which often clash and cause damage in the mother-daughter relationship. The mother subscribes to her belief that daughters should be obedient and blindly follow what their parents tell them to do. However, the daughter's rebellious streak prevented her from fully satisfying all of her mother's requests. Initially, the daughter was dutiful in obeying her mother's wish to be a prodigy, as she also wanted it for herself. However, after the stark revelation that she was not the kind of prodigy her mother wanted, as demonstrated in her disastrous piano recital, she took a step back from being the dutiful daughter she was supposed to be and decided to follow her own path . This inner courage that she unleashed by talking to her mother may have come from the strong American influence in allowing children to assert their independence. She didn't want to be a genius pianist because she didn't believe she had what it took to be one, much to her mother's disappointment. She said hurtful words to her mother, like opening a can of worms about painful memories from her mother's past that had remained unquestioned until that fateful confrontation. From that moment on, her mother stopped pushing her to realize the dreams she had for her daughter... which were also for herself. The mother's desire for her daughter to be a prodigy was deeply rooted in her own past misfortunes. She left China devastated, losing her entire family, including her twins. He came to America in 1949 to pursue the American dream he believed in so strongly. Perhaps it was her own optimism that pushed her to dream for her daughter, and that includes shining like a child prodigy, just like Shirley Temple. She even cut her daughter's hair like the child actress's iconic hairstyle so that she can somehow resemble her and perhaps, her brilliance as a child prodigy might rub off on her daughter. Although he has already set foot on American soil, he has maintained his Chinese values, one of which is raising a dutiful son who is expected to obey his every command. He felt the need to control his son's life in order to achieve the American dream. The title "Two Kinds" presents profound themes of duality and opposition. The mother mentioned two types of daughters: “those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!” He decided that his daughter should be the obedient type. The daughter refused to accept it and stubbornly stuck to her decision to "follow her own mind." That's when the mother finally backed down and lost the battle. She continued to be disappointed in her daughter, in all her failures in her life, however, her daughter accepted such failures as part of.