Amy Tan’s writing style gives readers a clear sense of what it is like to be Asian-American in a cultural and historical context. Tan uses the mahjong table as a foundation for each of the stories. She writes fluently enough to convey details and ideas in a manner that suggests that it is like a real mahjong game. In real mahjong, the players talk and gossip. They reminisce and tell stories about the past. Tan’s approach to weaving her story is similar because each generation goes around the table, telling their stories as if they were at the mahjong table. The mahjong table is like a living room where children are around and where major social events and gatherings occur nearby.
All the directions of the wind represent the players, referring to how their mothers come from different unique places and backgrounds. Their narrated stories interconnect with one another, happening in the past and the future. They tell their stories like scrambled eggs; each part not only intricately attaches to the other but also separates in itself. The mothers and daughters communicate and educate one another through their storytelling, as Lindo and Waverly do through their broken English and simple Mandarin. The importance of verbal communication is considered one of the daily-life constants that each person has to deal with, such as divorce papers from cheating husbands or oral storytelling around the family mahjong table. Tan connects all the stories of these women throughout the novel with the mahjong-table-like storytelling method that imitates real-life playing of the game.
Tan uses other cultural traditions like Chinese holidays to connect the stories for her readers. Many of these holidays also have stories that have taught some of the characters something special about life. Ying-Ying lost herself but got to experience what it was like to be without her family for the first time. She saw the story of the Moon Lady. Other stories involve superstitions and scaring away ghosts, such as Tomb Sweeping Day, during April to ward off any unwanted visitors with unfinished business. Such a superstitious practice accounts for why people in Taiwan use mushrooms because the word for ghost sounds like the word for mushroom in Mandarin during the Ghost Month when the door opens from the other world and spirits can enter the living world.
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During the Lunar New Year, the fireworks that children use now so often were to traditionally scare off a monster who hated loud noises and the color red. That is why many people clean their houses, wear red clothes during that time, and give each other red envelopes to promote good luck in the New Year. Tan made Huang Taitai especially vulnerable to these types of beliefs, as well as the man who raped An-Mei’s mother. Superstitions drove the world they lived in when they did not have other forms of knowledge to cope with and comprehend the world where they lived.
Food also plays a significant part in the four families’ lives. Incidents occur as much around food as they do in any other culture. Food is so crucial that Waverly and her mother communicate through it because words have created an invisible wall between them. In this way, Lindo uses her cooking skills to tell Waverly she cares for her. It is because of this importance of appreciating the dishes another person makes that Lindo supposedly criticizes Rich. However, this is not the case because Waverly misunderstands her mother so much. Instead, it is Waverly who has overthought and overanalyzed how her mother will judge Rich that she sees all the bad traits by herself without her mother’s help. They go to a restaurant, and Lindo says how much she does not like the place because it is dirty and the coking is not up to par.
Another food incident was crabs. Symbolically, crabs are not supposed to be dead or broken while being cooked because it means the person eating the crab might get bad luck. The crab Jing-Mei chooses is already dead, but they have to pay for it. Once it is cooked, it tastes stale. It is ominous for anyone to eat it, so her mother takes it for her and gives Jing-Mei her crab. In a way, Suyuan has given herself up so that Jing-Mei can keep on living. These small occurrences appear in the book to remind readers of the tight bonds of friendship and familial love each mother-daughter pair shows for one another. Everything on the table is prepared a certain way, and the tasters always need to react positively while the cook criticizes their specialty dishes. It is this humble pride that keeps the two generations together.
Amy Tan uses trivial makeup things in daily life and the mainstays of the Chinese cultural experience to create a unique blend of two generations of Chinese American mothers and daughters. The cultural elements act as a foundation for the broader themes of relationships, life obstacles, and adapting to the new environments. Tan’s book brings forth discussions of how individuals can overcome their circumstances and make their life what they want. It is about the courage to stand up and fight for your rights as a foreigner. It is about learning how to trust yourself and trust the people who care about you the most. Most importantly, it is about the promises and experiences that make each person a human being no matter what culture you are from and which languages you can speak, either fluently or just enough to communicate. It is about whomever we meet and ultimately how we emotionally affect one another, either in a good or bad way.
In these stories, the attitudes in the stories are different character conflict. In the Two Kinds short story, there is a conflict between parent and daughter. In the other story, there is a conflict between Sammy (Clerk) and Lengel (Manager). Amy Tan is an American Chinese immigrant Novelist that wrote. The story is about a Chinese immigrant mother and daughter that have problems with each other. It is really difficult for June to be successful what her mother wants in the Two Kinds story.
According to these stories, there are similar character at their age. For teenage age’s it doesn’t have any proper experience on social environment, that is why both stories main characters Sammy and Jing-mei are suffer by nature social. In the Two Kinds story her character tries to achieve high society; but real global, social does not give to her the achievement. Because there are some problems with preparing, supporting, communicate in society and her brain. In the A & P story, Sammy gets problem with same reasons. He doesn’t know enough about store policy, and he doesn’t know enough either the outside world. Because his age is too young. That is why, when the three girls come to the A & P store wearing with bathing store. Then he fails to maintain the store policy.
There some causes into their character. Sammy and Jing-mei both character get disappoint in their life journey. Their inexperience, early ages, improper decision and without any knowledge with community etc. makes them unsuccessful in life. For instance, Sammy character in the A & P story suddenly he quits his job without any preparing which bring his future more disappoint; and he does not have enough knowledge about his job, and even about outside world. Another story Two Kinds the Jing-mei character also gets trouble for same reasons. Mainly they completely affected for their early age.
Because the real life and real world are very difference from what you think. In the A & P story, store manager Lengel attacks the three girls because they do not wear proper dress. They come to the store wearing bathing suits which goes to the against the store policy. That is why Lengel try to tell them leaving from the store immediately. He supposed to tell them like them as a store manager because for maintaining the store policy. It is the really conflict situations between store manager and the three girls. He maintains his duty as rule. Actually, her mother intensely wants to make Jing-Mai as an American genius person. But Jing-Mai does not try to get it. It is really difficult for June to be successful what her mother wants through her. In the every step she faces so hard situation to be proved her mother’s dream.
Actually, her mother intensely wants to make Jing-Mai as an American genius person. But Jing-Mai does not try/want to what her mother wants. That is why she says,” Why don’t you like me the way I am? I am not a genius! I can’t play the piano. And even if I could, I wouldn’t go on TV if you paid me a million dollars!” (492-493). Most of the time parents and children agreement are not similar. For instance, when child born every parent make dream on their children. Parents maybe have a dream for specific subject to study for their children. On the other hand, the children want to study another subject. Actually, it is right if the child makes a decision their own way. If parents force or push them to do anything without agreement it is wrong. Parents should respect their child’s decisions.
According to the two stories, there are focusing some different depictions. For example, in the Updike’s story between the Lengel’s (Store manager) character and Sammy’s (Store Clerk) character are large difference. Because Lengel character is a middle-age man, and Sammy is a teenage boy. Lengel does everything in deep thinking, he has also good/enough experience on his job and other world. On the other side, Sammy does not have any. When Lengel charges the three girls immediately, opposite Sammy tries to help and support them. Because it happened invisible for his youthness age. Another story Two Kinds also focus two different characters between mother and daughter. Suyuan wants to be Jing-mei as a genius American person, her expectations are really high into her daughter.
