“Two Kinds” by Amy Tan
details a conflict between a Chinese woman and her American-born daughter, Jing-mei. The
setting for the story is Chinatown in San Jose,
California.
Exposition
The protagonist of the story is
a girl named Jing-mei. Her mother becomes the antagonist because of her insistence that
Jing-mei find a hidden talent.
Her mother wants
Jing-mei to be successful and stand out in some respect. Initially, Jing-mei was excited
about this idea as well. The conflict arises when Jing-mei tires of her mother’s
insistence on testing her every night on various
subjects.
Rising
Action
Jing-mei decides that her
mother will not change her. She is constantly disappointing her mother.
Jing-mei confronts her mother and asks her why does she not like her just as she is. Her
mother slaps her.
Her mother decides that Jing-mei could
be a piano prodigy. An old man in the apartment complex is a retired piano teacher.
The mother will clean his apartment for lessons for Jing-mei. But Jing-mei quickly
learns that the old man cannot hear. She pretends to practice and play. However, since
the teacher cannot hear, she really just plays whatever she wants
to.
Climax
The
music teacher and her mother decide to enter Jing-mei in a talent show. She has played
it but has never really memorized or even listened to herself as she played it. Despite
her lack of practice, Jing-mei is overconfident. Since she did not know the music, her
performance was a disaster. She makes a fool of herself and embarrasses her
mother.
Her mother does not give up and expects her to
continue practicing, but Jing-mei refuses to continue with the piano practice or
lessons.
She tells her mother that she wishes that she
were dead. Jing-mei knew exactly what to say to hurt her mother. Jing-mei's mother had
other babies that died. After this confrontation, her mother gives up on her having a
special talent.
Falling
Action
Jing-mei goes forward
through the years. She explains that she often disappointed her mother. Unlike her
mother, she did not believe that a person could do anything that he wanted to. She and
her mother never discussed the piano fiasco again. To spite her mother, she never did
her best in anything. Psychologically, the thing that hurt Jing-mei the most was that
her mother gave up on her.
On her thirtieth birthday, the
mother gives the piano to her daughter. Jing-mei asks if she would miss
it.
'No, this
your piano, she said firmly. Always your piano. Only one can play. You pick up fast.
You have natural talent. You could have been genius if you want to. You just not
trying,' said my
mother.
Resolution
When
her mother dies, Jing-mei has the piano tuned. She goes to the parents’ apartment to
help her father go through her mother’s things. She finds herself very sentimental about
her mother and the things that she valued.
Finally,
Jing-mei sits down at the piano and looks at the piece that she was supposed to play at
the talent show. She noticed that the piece on the right side of the page was called
“Perfectly Contented.” On the other side was the piece that she attempted: “Pleading
Child.” She realizes that the two pieces are two parts of the same piece. The song
symbolically represents Jing-mei's life. If only her mother were there, she would tell
her what she had learned.
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