Compare And Contrast Maggie In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

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Family is forever. As it’s said blood is thicker than water but it is not always the best, because sometimes the people closest to us can do the most damage. Family members bring pressures and sometime standards to live by, and this can often can be selfish to try to live by another’s standards whether they want you to be like themselves or be like someone they know; they will always expect and compare you to the best “Everyday use” by Alice walker is a story about family from the south, the narrator is a mother of two daughters who are driven by opposing forces; one shrouded in beauty and praise while the other lives neglect. While Amy Tan’s “Two kinds” is a tale about a girl named Jing Mei who’s on a journey of exploration in an attempt to find her identity, exploring her memories and her past to find a solution to her inner conflict; which will help her character and persona become stronger. The characters who draw the most sympathy are Maggie and the Jing-mei. …show more content…

In the reading passage, Walker states, “Maggie will be nervous until her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed…eying her sister with envy and awe” (336). Maggie is not seen as someone with a strong personality and is a static character. Whereas, Jing mei was able to stare inward and saw a “girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. This girl and I were the same” (Tan 384). Jing mei reached an epiphany causing the protagonist to become a dynamic character with a strong personality and help solve an inner conflict. In addition, there appears to be strong theme of heritage in both plots. In “Two Kinds” Amy Tan states when Jing mei tried to defy expectations the protagonist’s mother stated “Only two kinds of daughters, she shouted in Chinese. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!”

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