Narrator's Role in "Two Kinds"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the dynamic narrator in "Two Kinds." The narrator in the story undergoes two significant changes throughout a series of events: She first aspires to become a prodigy, then determines to spite her mother and finally resolves her inner tension that initially surfaces due to the expectations of her mother. In this paper specific quotes are analyzed in order to prove that the narrator underwent a transformation.

From the Paper:

"In Tan's "Two Kinds" a mother's blind faith that her daughter can be a genius leads the young girl to face several internal struggles. The narrator, the young daughter, initially feels as though she could one day become a prodigy as her mother suspects. However, the narrator's mother constantly pushes too hard and forces endless tests upon her daughter, which causes great tension in the mother-daughter relationship. After many acts of resentment and spite towards her mother's ambitions, the narrator finally releases all of her emotion and leads her mother to lose any trace of hope. Unfortunately, the narrator understands her mother as well as her lost potential when reconciliation is already out of reach, although she does capture inner peace after realizing her mother truly wished only success for her daughter. The narrator in the story undergoes two significant changes throughout a series of events: she first aspires to become a prodigy, then determines to spite her mother, and finally resolves her inner tension that initially surfaces due to the expectations of her mother."

More papers on Narrator's Role in "Two Kinds":

• Book Review # 114277 : "Parenting in "Two Kinds"
• Analytical Essay # 134313 : "Free to be Me: Amy Tan's "Two Kinds"
• Analytical Essay # 1807 : "Amy Tan's "Two Kinds"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: