Question

Write a 150-word essay in which you explain how the author’s use of Indirect Characterization develops the conflict between the narrator and her mother in "Two Kinds." Be sure to cite examples from the text in your response.

Answer 1

In the story "Two Kinds," the author Amy Tan tells us about a mother and a daughter who live in America, but are of Chinese origin. We learn that the daughter wants to be a "Chinese Shirley Temple" and become famous through her dancing and her singing. On the other hand, her mother wants the daughter (Jing-mei) to be a genius. She forces her to take piano lessons, which Jing-Mei hates.

The author develops this conflict through the use of indirect characterization. While she rarely describes the mother and daughter in detail, she describes many events that allow us to create a picture of their behaviour. For example, we learn that Jing-mei hates the piano lessons when she does not care about learning and she does terribly at the recital. We also learn about the mother's expectations of her daughter when she talks about the "two kinds" of daughters that exist. In this way, the author develops the conflict between the two characters while giving the story complexity.