The Cultural identification Process in "Two Kind"

The United State is known as a cultural melting pot. It is attracted to people all over the world because it is a land of freedom and a land of rich. Many Asians immigrate to The United State to seek for their American dream. However, after the Asian immigrants are settled in The United State, there is a serious cultural identification problem raise among the second generation of the Asian immigrants. These second generation immigrants are set between their parents' traditional culture and the majority American culture. The expectations from these two cultures are often contradictive. Hence, conflict happens often between second generation immigrant and their parents while they are going through cultural identification process. The American writer Amy Tan, who is also an Asian-American, illustrates this common social issue in her fiction "Two Kind". This research paper will examine the cultural identification process in the fiction by close look at Tan's background and by analyzing cultural identification in three stages of Jing-Mei's life, peace stage, when she fastens on Chinese cultural; conflict stage, when she fastens on American culture; and open stage, when she finds the equilibrium between two cultures.

Learning the background of a work's author can enhance readers understanding toward the message in the work. Tan herself is the second generation of Chinese immigrant. Her work is notable for describing the relationship between Chinese immigrant mother and their daughter (Feng). She also emphasizes their special unbroken but conflict relationship (Beeler). Tan chose to follow her own will to study in literature instead of becoming a neurology doctor as her mother's expectation (citation). She failed on her mother's exp...

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...one's origin. More important, it shows that Jing-Ming feel free and happy to have both cultural identifications.

The three stages of Jing-Mei's life illustrate the importance of cultural identification in "Two Kinds". This is an issue not spoken out. However, all events in the fiction are tied to Jing-Mei's cultural identification process. The readers experience the conflict with Jing-Mei as they read through the fiction. They see the change of Jing-Mei from accepting Chinese culture, to having conflict with Chinese culture because the needs of learning American culture, and turn in to a fully understand and equilibrium attitude. Tan not only writes down the story between Chinese immigrant and her American born daughter, but furthermore teaches a great life principle: at the end, people all need to realize they have to find the harmony in any two kinds of things.