Setting of two kinds

The physical setting is San Francisco, the United States of America. The time setting appears to be sometime in the late 1950s, while the last scene takes place some years later, when Jing-mei is an adult.

1. What is the plot in Two Kinds?
2. What time period was Two Kinds?
3. What is the theme in Two Kinds?
4. What is the conflict in Two Kinds?

What is the plot in Two Kinds?

The story is about a young American girl born to Chinese parents; her mother pushes her to become a child prodigy, but the daughter resists. A powerful tale about pushy parents and their children, 'Two Kinds' deserves some closer analysis to tease out its meaning and significance.

What time period was Two Kinds?

'Two Kinds', a short story by Amy Tan, opens with Jing-Mei 'June' Woo, the narrator, reflecting on her mother's life after she's dead. Suyuan, June's mother, fled China in 1949, and her sadness over the twin girls she was forced to leave behind is palpable.

What is the theme in Two Kinds?

The story focuses on two themes: the American Dream and the tension between mothers and daughters. Like many immigrants, Mrs. Woo believes in America's promise: With hard work and a little luck, Jing-mei can be anything that she chooses to be.

What is the conflict in Two Kinds?

The central conflict of the story is about the mother wanting her daughter to become a child prodigy, but her daughter cannot fulfill her mothers dream. And, Tan uses the piano symbolizes hope, but also failure for the daughter and mother to accentuate the idea of dreams can be defeated.