Two Kinds by Amy Tan Essay -- Two Kinds, Amy Tan

In â€Å"Two Kinds,† Amy Tan explores a theme of independence. Jing-me is an impressionable nine year old girl living in an apartment with her parents. She struggles with the high expectations of her mother, to become a prodigy. The conflict results in a rebellious independence. Tan develops Jing-me’s character as willful, defiant, and insecure. To begin, Tan demonstrates that Jing-me’s willfulness stands in the way of her success. For example, after failing many of her mothers prodigy tests, she begins to hate them. One night after another failed test, she adopted â€Å"new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won’ts† (Tan 596). Jing-me decides that she is not going to let her mother change who she is, so she stops trying to be a prodigy. She demonstrates her willfulness when she â€Å"performed listlessly,† and â€Å"pretended to be bored,† when presented with further tests (596). Jing-me’s headstrong attitude continues to stand in the way and keeps her from successfully learning to play the piano. She â€Å"was determined not to try, not to be anybody different† that ...