The Differences between American and Chinese Society In the story Two Kinds by Amy Tan, Jing Mei, a Chinese American girl struggles with her identity and learning how to balance her mother’s wants with her needs. Jing- Mei’s mother feels that obedience to her should come first and following her own aspirations should not be a consideration. With the pressures of pleasing her mother and still discovering one’s shelf, Jing-Mei searches for balance but finds conflict, confusion, and disdain. In the beginning, Jing-Mei was eagerly hoping to make her mother proud. However, her mother’s obsession with molding her into a child prodigy discouraged Jing-Mei from fulfilling her goals. One day the mother saw a little Chinese girl on television …show more content…

No magic comes and she completely embarrasses her family. The battle between Jing-Mei and her mother’s expectations rages on after this recital, coming to a verbal battle in which Jing-Mei devastates her mother’s heart by saying-completely out of frustration and embarrassment-that she wishes she was not her daughter. With this blow, the mother closes the lid to the piano, stops the lessons, and admits that her daughter could be a failure. This is a hollow victory of course for the main character. As the short story ends, Jing-Mei returns, and having the piano serviced. Her mother has passed away and she has decided to keep the piano as a memento of her mother’s hopes for her. As a Chinese-American, Amy Tan represents a strong sub-culture within American society. Why does the American Dream influence the Chinese culture? The American dream has a powerful influence on new arrivals in the U.S.A. The burden of these dreams usually falls more heavily upon the shoulders of American born children of immigrants. Often immigrant parents are willing to sacrifice everything including careers, family, and property, to pursue new lives in America. Different cultures view the U.S.A differently. The American dream has a different point of view from every culture because no one is raised the same. Jing- Mei’s American culture does not interact with her mother’s culture. The United States is a country that offers inalienable rights as guaranteed by