Two Kinds by Amy Tan

In most families, many teenagers and mothers butt heads when making decisions. In Two Kinds by Amy Tan, the beliefs of the mother and daughter are polar opposites in what is thought to be in the best interest of the daughter. It is perceived from the story that the mother wants her daughter to have the best life possible. However, the only way that the mother believes that this will be possible will be for the girl to become a prodigy, which the daughter realizes is not the case. One of the main themes in this book is that no one can force someone to be who they are not. So, by the constant strain from the mother to daughter increases with each tasks the mother makes the daughter try to become a prodigy, the more self realization occurs on the daughter’s part to realize she is not a genius or great pianist. Once the girl understands that she “could only be [her]” (Tan 138), she falls away from the ideal daughter her mother wants her to be, and the idea that she “would soon become perfect” (731) by becoming a prodigy. The girl in the story becomes so obsessed and “determined not to try” (734), she materializes into the kind of daughter who “follows her own mind”(737) instead of the daughter who is obedient. In conclusion, even though the mother and daughter grow distant by the end of the story, they both come to realize there is more than one way to achieve happiness. I really liked this story and thought there was a good underlying theme and message, which is very common in most families around the world.