Amy Tan Two Kinds Summary

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Former Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow once said “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” But in Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” there is neither hard work nor talent. Two Kinds is about a Chinese mother that moved to the United States to chase the American Dream. This mother is looking to achieve her American Dream through her daughter June by trying to make her a young prodigy which she is clearly not. The conflict is largely driven by the mother who is supposed to be the adult in this relationship. The mother in this story is a control freak, extremely naïve, stubborn, selfish, and has endured a rough life full of disappointment. With all of these factors put together, a story about a parent trying to get out of the gutters of …show more content…
The mother in this story has had a life filled with adversity and heartache. Both of her parents passed away, she lost her first husband, her first two twin daughters have also passed away and her family home back in China is gone. Simply put it, she had nothing left in life except for June. With that being said, she decides leave China and move to American to create a better opportunity for herself and June. A noble goal. However, this goal soon becomes an obsession by the mother. She foolishly thinks that she can just turn June into some famous young American icon. It is safe to assume that the mother has just about peaked. She isn’t going to become rich or famous in her lifetime. There is no way she can meet her lofty expectations so she places her goals and failures on June. An unfair amount of pressure to put on a child but unfortunately this is something that is common in parenting. Parents, in my opinion, are meant to encourage their child’s passions not force their own personal dreams or ambitions onto their …show more content…
Throughout the story the mother is always motivated to force a talent on her daughter that she saw on TV. Talents that can quickly lead to riches. However, none of these talents are easily obtained or practically made into a career nor does June ever show much of an interest in these talents. Does the mother ever ask June what she would like to do? Does she ever try and encourage her to pursue something that is more practical career wise instead of a talent that in most cases is strictly a hobby? No, rather the mother is selfishly blinded by her personal ambitions and by the glamor and gilts of childhood stardom. From attempts to change June both physically and mentally to try and meet her expectations on what a child star looks and acts like, there are few lines this mother isn’t willing to cross. From the failed Shirley Temple haircut that made June look like a “Negro Chinses” to constantly giving her June quizzes from magazines or enrolling June in piano lessons and a talent show without even consulting her about it, the mother has full control. June meanwhile is forced to go along with her mother’s plans with no say. This leads to a lack of effort and embarrassing herself in a talent show that she is not even close to being ready for. While June could have actually tried during her piano lessons,
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