A Pair Of Tickets example essay topic

"A Pair of Tickets" Amy Tan's classic short story, "A Pair of Tickets", is a coming of age story as the protagonist wakes up to her heritage when she travels to her native land, but it is also a story of internal racial tension. Not in the sense of one class looking down on another but of the internal racial tension that rages on inside Jing-me as the battle between what she is by birth and what she is by nature tears her apart when she suddenly discovers her long lost sisters just a month after her mother dies. In "A Pair of Tickets" the protagonist, Jing-me, receives a letter from her long lost twin sisters. The sisters are hoping to reunite with their mother but unfortunately Jing-me's mother had died briefly before. After receiving this devastating news Jing-me wages a war within herself. Should she write the twins back telling them of their mothers death or should she go in person?

It is at this point that the story's central theme is first unearthed. On the outside it appears that Jing-me does not want to go in person because she does not want to see the twin's grief in person. The underlying reason for her not wanting to go is much different however. Jing-me is afraid of her heritage. All her life she has denied everything Chinese that is in her, Americanizing herself as much as possible.

Now with a possible trip to China looming in front of her, Jing-me is ashamed of going to the homeland she has denied all along (Kimble 2). At last, at the urging of her aunt, Jing-me decides making the trip is the right thing to do. During the trip to China and while she spends time with her relatives Jing-me begins to reflect on the Chinese side of her life. All her life she had fought her inner Chinese. She had lived her life as an American never wanting to acknowledge her lineage. But the death of her mother along with the impending reunion with her sisters forces Jing-me to finally examine herself (Jokinon 2).

These two events are very important together for the death of her mother alone did not force Jing-me to change. Even though her mother was the one who had always tried to change Jing-me is the trip to China that really hits Jing-me hard. She goes from her safe American life to being suddenly immersed in the Chinese culture. Another key event in the awakening of Jing-me is when her father tells her the story of her mother and why she had to leave the twins. Jing-me's mother had sacrificed so much and yet could still not save the twins. This touches Jing-me deeply and she realizes what a miracle it is that the twins have managed to find her.

The combination of these events is what makes Jing-me realize that is her obligation to search out her Chinese half as a tribute to her mother. What she finds is a beautiful side of her that she never knew existed because she had blocked it out. After Jing-me finally meets her sister face to face has an epiphany. "It is so obvious. It is my family. After all these years it can finally be let go" (Tan 134).

Jing-me's work and her school and all the events in between were always her, American. But her family, heritage, has always been and will always be Chinese (An Interview 11). She fought it for so long but it took not only the death of her mother but a trip to her native land to discover the beauty of letting that side of her out. The theme of "A Pair of Tickets" is very similar to story and movie themes throughout time. Character A is of a certain heritage but denies it their whole life to chagrin of some family member who want Character A to embrace their culture. Said family member dies and a gaping whole is left inside Character A. "A" then decides to travel to her home country in honor of the dead relative.

During this trip "A" realizes how foolish they have been and vows to live the rest of their life in celebration of their lineage. This a tired theme that is oft misused, but Tan manages to breathe new life into her story as she crafts a compelling and thought provoking story. Jing-me is put though an emotional roller-coaster and in turn so is the reader. Tan tells a story that readers of any ethnic background may be able to relate to (Reflections 9).

In today's society people's background are always being pushed to the background due to the pressures on people to conform and just be like everyone else. The emotional description of the abandoning of the twins by Jing-me's mother and the heartfelt reunion have brought many a reader to tear up (Oxford 3). Part of the reason that the story is so touching and realistic is because of the author's background growing up. As a younger woman Amy Tan was very much like Jing-me.

She was a Chinese girl growing up in a world where she was surrounded by Chinese and American influences. Often she has written about trying to assimilate into the mainstream, American world as a child, often at the expense of her Chinese heritage. These stories are always more heartfelt because Tan is writing from life experience (Encyclopedia 543). Tan has remarked in interviews that, "she didn't deny her culture because she was ashamed but because it was just easier to be like everyone else" (Jokinon 2). Jing-me, like Tan,.