Amy Tan’s Life and Writings (Free Essay Sample)

Amy Tan is a Chinese-American writer whose works explore the relationships between mothers and daughters and the clash of cultures between East and West. Tan’s best-known work is The Joy Luck Club, a novel about four Chinese-American women who immigrated to the United States (Javellana). The book was adapted into a film in 1993. Tan has also written a number of other novels, including The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, and Saving Fish from Drowning. She has also published a collection of essays, The Opposite of Fate.

Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” is a short story about a mother and daughter’s relationship. The mother is a Chinese immigrant who is determined to make her daughter successful by any means necessary. On the other hand, the daughter is an American-born Chinese who wants to be herself. The story is set in San Francisco, and it covers the daughter’s childhood and adolescence. We see the mother’s struggle to assimilate to American culture and the daughter’s struggle to find her place in the world. The story ends with the daughter leaving home to pursue her dreams and the mother realizing that she has lost her daughter forever. Tan’s purpose for writing this story is to explore the clash of cultures between East and West and the relationships between mothers and daughters.

Amy Tan is making an argument about the clash of cultures between East and West and the relationships between mothers and daughters. Through the story of the mother’s struggle to assimilate to American culture and the daughter’s struggle to find her place in the world, as Tan shows how these two groups can be at odds with each other. At the same time, she also shows how the mother and daughter can understand and respect each other’s differences. The mother realizes that she has lost her daughter forever, but she also recognizes that her daughter is pursuing her dreams. This story shows that even though there can be a lot of misunderstandings and conflicts between cultures, ultimately, we are all human beings who want to love and be loved.

Tan was born in 1952 in Oakland, California, to Chinese immigrants who had come to the United States during the 1940s. Her mother was a refugee from China who had survived the journey to America by working as a maid (Williams 53). Her father was a Baptist minister. Tan was raised in a predominantly white community, and she often felt like an outsider. This feeling of being an outsider would later become a significant theme in her writing. Tan’s major influences come from her own life experiences and the stories her mother would tell her about her homeland (Adams 1). These stories would inspire Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club.

On her reasons for the way she writes, Amy Tan says that she writes about the relationships between mothers and daughters and the clash of cultures between East and West because these are themes that she is personally familiar with. In addition, Tan says that her own experiences as a Chinese-American woman and the stories her mother would tell her about China have significantly influenced her writing. Finally, to answer the question “WHY” she writes, Tan says that she does it to understand her own life and help others who may be struggling with similar issues.

Focusing on her topics and themes of interest, the family relationships and the conflicts of cultures between East and West stands out. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Tan said: “I write about the relationships between mothers and daughters and the clash of cultures between East and West because these are themes that I am personally familiar with. I write to understand my own life, and to help others who may be struggling with similar issues” (Tan). Similarly, Tan says that she is particularly interested in exploring the misunderstandings and conflicts that can occur between these two groups. She also says that she writes to understand her own life and to help others who may be struggling with similar issues.

Moving forward to the themes of the story in question, one of the main themes in “Two Kinds” is the power of determination. Jing-mei’s mother is determined to make her daughter a success story, and Jing-mei eventually comes to see the value in obeying her mother and working hard to achieve her goals. This theme is reflected in the author’s own life experiences. As a child, Amy Tan was raised in America by her Chinese mother, who instilled the importance of hard work and determination in her. For instance, Tan writes, “She read aloud to me, Chinese stories and fables, and later, articles from magazines about successful immigrants.” (Tan 14). This lesson stuck with Tan throughout her life and helped her achieve success as a writer. The theme of determination is also reflected in relevant social and historical issues. For example, the Chinese culture has always placed a high value on hard work and determination. This is reflected in the “two kinds” of stories that Jing-mei’s mother reads to her stories of success and failure. The Chinese culture values determination and hard work because these qualities have helped the Chinese people to overcome many challenges throughout history. 

The immigrant experience is the other major theme in “Two Kinds.” Jing-mei’s mother is a Chinese immigrant determined to make her daughter a success story. Jing-mei is raised in America and is resistant to her mother’s wishes at first. However, she eventually sees the value in obeying her mother and working hard to achieve her goals. The immigrant experience is reflected in the story through the characters of Jing-mei and her mother. For instance, Tan highlights, “To Jing-mei’s mother, America was the land of opportunity. She believed that anything was possible in America, even for a woman with no money and no education” (Tan 3). The quote shows how much of an experience it was for Tan’s family to be in America.

The generation gap is another central theme in “Two Kinds.” Jing-mei’s mother is from a different generation than her daughter. She is from a time when women were not expected to have careers or be independent. On the other hand, Jing-mei is from a generation where women are expected to be career-oriented and independent. The story reflects the generation gap through the conflict between Jing-mei and her mother. The quote “Jing-mei did not want to disappoint her mother, but she also did not want to be like her. She did not want to be forced into a mold that did not fit her” (Tan 7) is a clear elaboration of this theme, as the two generations – the mother and the daughter- found it hard to click.

In conclusion, one lesson we can learn from Amy Tan’s life and writings is the importance of understanding and respecting other cultures. Tan’s stories often explore the misunderstandings and conflicts between different cultures. However, she also shows how, despite these differences, we are all human beings who want to love and be loved. Another lesson we can learn from Tan is the importance of family. In many of her stories, the relationships between mothers and daughters are central. These stories show how family can be a source of love and conflict. Finally, we can learn from Tan that stories can be a way of understanding our own lives and the lives of others. Tan’s stories often offer insight into the immigrant experience, the Chinese-American experience, and the human experience.