SHORT REVIEW

In this short story, Jing-mei, the American born daughter of Chinese immigrants, tells how her mother relentlessly drove her to become a child prodigy. This short story is taken from Amy Tans critically acclaimed novel The Joy Luck Club.

PSYCHOANALYTIC CRITICISM

INTRODUCTION
Psychoanalytical criticism can exist side by side with any other critical method of interpretation because this approach attempts to explain the how and why of human actions without developing an aesthetic theory a systematic, philosophical body of beliefs about how meaning occurs in literature and other art forms(Bressler)

 Sigmund Freud is the founder of this approach to literary analysis.

This criticism has continued to developed throughout the twentieth century.

The next slides will criticize the characters on Two Kinds using two of the psychoanalyst theories who are Erik Erikson and Carl G. Jung.

JING-MEI
She is passing through the two stages of Eriksons Psychosocial Development which are Industry versus Inferiority (6 to 11 years) and Identity versus Role Confusion (adolescence; 12-18 years)

Of course, you can be a prodigy too, my mother told me when I was nine.
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 At the first stage mentioned, she is learning new things such as searching the prodigy of herself.
Through this process, her mother demands that she try on a variety of identities: from Chinese Shirley Temple. to child genius, to piano virtuoso. Jing-mei at first absorbs her mother dreams because of the mothers trustworthy.

 This puts larger pressure on her, forcing her to meet her mothers expectation. Sense of failure has made she feels inferior and worthless.

I hated tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations. Before going to bed that night I looked the mirror above the bathroom sink, and I saw only my face staring back- and understood

that it would always be this ordinary face.

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 Since that, she is searching her own identity (second stage mentioned) by rebelling towards her mothers hope.

Why dont you like me the way I am? I cried. Im not a genius! I cant play the piano. And

even if I could, I wouldnt go on TV if you paid me a million dollars!

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 The situation becomes worse because she does not been given the moral support but instruction. In fact, her mother complained about her bad behaviour instead of advising her in a proper way.

If she had as much as she has temper, shed be famous now.

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 Her mothers expression after her performance at the church hall has given the greatest impact towards Jingmei.

But my mothers expression was what devastated me: a quiet, blank look that said she had lost everything.

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As a result, she shows a lower esteem, lacks courage and always tries to defiant her mother.

It was not the only disappointment my mother felt in me. In the years that followed, I failed her many times, each time asserting my will, my right to fall short of expectations. I didnt get straight As. I didnt become class president. I didnt get into Stanford. I dropped out of college. Unlike my mother, I did not believe I could be anything I

wanted to be, I could only be me.

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JING-MEIS MOTHER
Carl G. Jung accepts the Dynamic Model (asserting that our minds consists the conscious and unconscious elements) from Sigmund Freud but he divided the unconscious part to personal unconscious and collective unconscious.

 From personal conscious perspective, Jing-meis mother wants her to become an extraordinary child to make sure she will have a good future.

Ironically, from personal unconscious perception, she actually has a desire to show off with Jing-meis success if she could find the prodigy of her daughter.

our problem worser than yours. If we ask Jing-mei wash dish, she hear nothing but music. Its like you cant stop this natural talent.
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 Because of the desire, she has set that Jing-mei must follow her decision without thinking about her daughters interest.
She has chosen authoritarian parenting style which cause her to punish or babble to Jing-mei whenever the daughter refuses to obey her request.

She snapped off the TV, yanked me by the arm and pulled me off the floor. She was frighteningly strong, half pulling, half carrying me towards the piano as I kicked the throw rugs under my feet. She lifted me up onto the hard bench.
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CONCLUSION
The problem occurs between Jing-mei and her mother actually is just miscommunication because of the age gap. So, everyone thinks that they are correct without thinking about others. Jing-mei does not understand her mothers responsibility while her mother cannot understand the need of a teenager. If they can tolerate and understand each other, there will be no problem at all.