The Catastrophic Effects of Egocentrism in Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” and Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” (Essay Example)

In Vincent Ryan Ruggerio’s “Beyond Feelings” textbook we have exhausted the idea that relationships thrive when there is a presence of critical thinking concepts and when there is not they tend to fail. Similar to Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl”, Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” is also a prime example of how the lack of critical thinking can negatively impact the mother-daughter connection. In this particular story, Tan writes her characters with a lack of what Ruggerio would describe as critical thinking traits and an excessive display of egocentrism and ethnocentrism(21,96). The collection of these concepts hinders the development of the characters and advances conflicts within the story. This short story is evidence of how important Ruggerio’s critical thinking concepts are in relationships and without them, it is clear that relationships cannot truly prosper nor can each individual reach their fullest potential. With a lack of loving and belonging it is not plausible to fully reach self-actualization, according to Maslow’s hierarchy the base needs must be satisfied firstmost before reaching our fulfillment of potential(Ruggerio 24). 

Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” follows the exceptionally high expectations that Jing-mei’s mother has set for her. The mother pushed her daughter to live a life she herself wished she had. Being an immigrant, all of the mother’s hopes and dreams now not only resided in the United States but in Jing-mei. By having these high aspirations for Jing-mei the mother ended up forcing her own beliefs and goals onto her, she created a life for her daughter that Jing-mei had not signed up for. The mother actively displayed a lack of critical thinking traits throughout the piece by conforming to her views/traditions and acting solely on emotion(Ruggerio 22). The mother wanted Jing-mei to accomplish what she herself didn’t have the chance to accomplish “after losing everything in China”(Tan 1). Jing-mei had the weight of not only her success but her mother’s success as well. The mother was basing this new life in the states on her old life in China, she wished to provide for Jing-mei all of the things she was not blessed with back home. What seemed like a maternal act of love actually ended up being the opposite. The mother's adamant demand for success in response to her past created a wedge in the relationship between her and her daughter. The mother also was prone to acting on her emotions. When Jing-mei learned that she would be forced to play the piano she refused. In response, Jing-mei’s “mother slapped [her]”(2). This reaction was built upon the mother’s emotion at the moment, with no real reason or justification for her actions other than her frustration. Ruggerio would consider this one of the characteristics he lists in the book, as uncritical thinkers “tend to follow their feelings and act impulsively”(Ruggerio 22). The mother demonstrates this same impulse later on when Jing-mei once again refused to play the piano. The mother is conceived as irate her “chest heaving up and down in an angry way”(Tan 5). Her surprisingly brute force that “yanked [Jing-mei] by the arm and pulled [her] off the floor”(Tan 5) was all in reaction to her not getting her way. Tan then writes of her gaining what seemed as pleasure from Jing-mei’s tears(5).  The mother let her emotions control her and hence exhibited no true critical thinking in times of need. This lack of control made Jing-mei want to revolt against her mother, even more. Jing-mei was well aware that she would “never be the kind of daughter”(Tan 5) her mother wanted nor did she wish to be anymore. The mother’s display of uncritical characteristics deeply affected the prosperity of the relationship she held with her daughter. With there being a lack of familial love and belonging Jing-mei herself may never fulfill her truest form. When looking at Maslow’s hierarchy(Ruggerio 12) it is argued that to ensure full transcendence one must first fulfill all lower needs. Due to her mother’s lack of critical thinking characteristics, Jing-mei is deprived of the intimacy needed from her mother causing her to never be able to climb Maslow's pyramid of self-actualization. 

Now, in spite of her mother’s shortcomings, Jing-mei is not innocent in all of this. She too is guilty of acting on her emotions rather than logic. Same as her mother Jing-mei reacts impulsively, perhaps saying the first thing that comes to mind in order to hurt her mother. For example, Jing-mei tells her mother that she “wish [she] weren’t [her] daughter”(Tan 5). She “felt good”(Tan 5) about saying this. She wanted to push her mother past the breaking point, Tan writes that Jing-mei “wanted to see [her anger] spillover”(5). At this point in the story, it seems as though Jing-mei will say anything just to spite her mother. She screams that she too wished she was dead like the children her mother had lost in China (Tan 5). This despicable display of emotion was the last straw, a “betrayal that was unspeakable”(Tan 5). Jing-mei’s excessive display of emotion and lack of critical thinking caused just as much damage as her mother's. In the same sense that Jing-mei was unable to ascend Maslow’s hierarchy neither can her mother. Both lack the sense of belonging and love created from a strong family unit due to their impulsive emotional reactions and lack of critical thinking characteristics.