Two Kinds by Amy Tan Analysis Example

In the story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, a girl and her mother go through relationship changes. In the beginning, the relationship is forbearing and positive then turns toxic and abusive. But, in the end, it resolves into a respectful relationship. Tan develops the relationship through internal dialogue, vicious imagery, and dialogue. Tan uses internal dialogue to display the daughter’s desire to please her family. The daughter thinks, “In fact, in the beginning I was just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so” (par 9). The use of internal dialogue unveils how the daughter is willing to do her best to satisfy whoever she needs to. The daughter, Jing-mei, states how excited she is to be the prodigy her mother wants her to be and how positive the relationship between them is in the beginning.

The author uses vicious imagery to relate the abusive relationship between the mother and daughter. The daughter describes, “She yanked me by the arm, pulled me off the floor, snapped off the TV. She was frighteningly strong, half pulling, half carrying me toward the piano as I kicked the throw rugs under my feet. She lifted me up and onto the hard bench” (par 72). The use of vicious imagery gives the readers an insight into the huge animosity between the mother and the daughter. Jing-mei explains how abusive her mother becomes in view of her rebellion.

Tan uses dialogue to show the mother’s admiration for her daughter. The mother states, “‘You pick up fast,’ my mother said, as if she knew this was certain. ‘You have natural talent. You could been genius if you want to”’ (par 88). Ultimately, the use of dialogue from the author displays how the mother just wanted the best for her daughter and wanted her to succeed right from the start. The mother details admirably how she has seen the talent the daughter had and the prodigy she could have been. The calm tone proves how the mother-daughter relationship settles respectfully. Through Amy Tan’s internal dialogue, viscous imagery, and dialogue, the ongoing relationship between the mother and Jing-mei, the daughter is quite evident. Tan exerts these techniques in her writing to express the universal truth of how parental expectations can be overbearing.