Mother Daughter Relationship Character Of Mrs Dietrich example essay topic

A well-developed character is an important element in a short story. It stirs up emotions in the reader, making for a powerful story. The success of a short story depends greatly on the strength and authenticity of the characters. In interpreting a story, the reader must be able to understand the characters behind the events of a story. The mothers in Amy Tan's "Two Kinds" and Joyce Carol Oates' "Shopping" are contrasting examples of such traits. In Amy Tan's "Two Kinds", we are introduced to a nameless character simply referred to as "my mother" throughout the story.

Although her daughter, Jing Mei, held the narrator's microphone, her mother was the pulpit on which the theme of a mother-daughter relationship was projected. She was a first generation Chinese immigrant who "believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America". (pg 211) Early in the story she was portrayed as a survivor of the devastating loss of her entire family in China, including her parents, husband, and twin baby girls. (pg. 211) A strong soul, "she never looked back" and came to America with high hopes of the American dream for her and her future family. (pg 211) The character of Jing Mei's mother in "Two Kinds" exemplifies a range of stereotypes of mothers. She experienced loss, exhibited emotional strength, was persistent and determined to dust herself off and try again. These are believable emotions with which readers can identify. The sacrificial nature of a mother was revealed in her bartering housecleaning services for piano lessons (pg 213) and saving money for her daughter's secondhand piano. (pg 215) She was competitive with her peers, comparing children's accomplishments, even embellishing the truth to catch up with the Jones'. (pg 215) Her persistence can be further interpreted as antagonistic; determined to cultivate a prodigy child even after her daughter's talent show disaster. (pgs 215-216) In the climax of the story, her dreams of a prodigy child ended swiftly with one mention of her lost twin babies. The result reveals a deeply saddened woman who harbored pain for many years.

As the story progressed, one could say she learned to let go of her child or perhaps she was just afraid of losing another one. Joyce Carol Oates' "Shopping" presented itself as a darker tale of mother-daughter relationships. The character of Mrs. Dietrich reveals some painful human emotions hiding beneath the surface of everyday life. The short story of Mrs. Dietrich and her daughter Nola spans no more than a day at the mall. However, much is revealed of Mrs. Dietrich's character through her daughter's eyes in one short day of shopping. Mrs. Dietrich also experienced the loss of a loved one, not by death but by divorce.

In reaction to her grief, she clamps tightly onto her daughter Nola in fear of losing her as well. Nola feels suffocated. At the end of the restaurant scene Nola expressed "How exhausting it is."You and me."Being together."The two of us, like this-" Her mother's response was a decrepit "But we " re hardly ever together, Nola". (pg 209) Nola is a typical seventeen-year-old; self-absorbed, distant from the parents like any normal adolescent. Perhaps this teenage attitude adds to her mother's insecurity causing her to react in such a way. For instance, Nola laughs when they finally pull into the mall parking lot. Silently, Mrs. Dietrich begins to analyze what a seventeen-year-old's laughter means. (pg 203) This and similar instances gives the reader the impression of a weak and deeply troubled character.

This woman was dependent on others for her happiness (pg 203), seeking it in her daughter, and adversely pushing her daughter away as a result. Understanding Mrs Dietrich's behavior and interpreting it into her character is fairly straightforward. Digging deeper into her underlying motivations to reveal the emotional forces at war in her heart is more perplexing. A reader thirsts for more insight, more words, more story. Amy Tan's mother in "Two Kinds" is easier to identify with, to feel a tenderness for in the end of the story. In contrast, the unrefined development of Mrs. Dietrich in "Shopping" leaves the reader craving more...