The settings in Tan's "Two Kinds" influence the growth and development of Jing-Mei's characteristics.
Conclution:
Paragraph one: The historical and economic circumstances explain why Jing-Mei's mother has persistent hopes for her, which creates the tension between them.
Paragraph two: The “piano and piano lessons” symbolize the sacrifices Jing-Mei’s mother make for her education, the belief and attempts to make Jing-Mei a child prodigy and mother’s persistent hopes, which contribute to the struggle between the two of them.
Paragraph three: "Pleading Child" and "Perfectly Contented", the two parts of same composition symbolize the relationship between Jing-Mei and her mother, which helps change Jing-Mei from an ungrateful and impatient child to a mature and appreciative adult.
She lands with very little money, connection, probably can barely speak English. However, she manages to start and support her new family through housekeeping jobs, the most humble and hard work.
Jing-Mei's mother believes Jing-Mei can be a child prodigy, winning awards so that she can brag and show off to her friends, and bring family fame and pride.
After losing everything in China, Jing-Mei's mother moves to America, where all her hopes lay (Paragraph 3), believing "you could be anything you wanted to be in America" (Paragraph 1).
In the beginning, Jing-Mei, just like her mother, believes she can be a prodigy, she is excited and has hopes. However, she is too impatient and doesn't try hard or long enough to fulfill her potentials.
After "raised hopes and failed expectations"(Paragraph 18), Jing-Mei decides to follow her own will, she will no longer allow her mother to change her, force her to become someone who she is not.
Jing-Mei gives up on the idea that she can become a child prodigy, she stops trying her best, or even trying at all. She pretends to listen, to work hard, to think.
The mother is not pleased with Jing-Mei's performance, but more importantly, she is disappointed how Jing-Mei takes everything for granted, doesn't appreciate all the training and education, she is mad that Jing-Mei doesn't have faith in herself, give up easily, and doesn't even try.
Jing-Mei's mother gets the inspiration from watching a young Chinese girl playing piano on TV with humble and grace, she discovers this new potential for her daughter to develop.
To own a piano and to pay for the lessons are out of reach for Jing-Mei's family. Her mother has to approach Mr.Chong, a retired piano teacher, and "traded housecleaning services for weekly lessons and a piano to practice on every day" (Paragraph 30).
When Jing-Mei's mother informs her the new plan with piano lessons, instead of showing appreciation, instead of at least giving it a try and see she will like it, Jing-Mei is furious, she decides to stand up for herself, she decides she will not have it this time, she shouts at her mother, and blames her mother, for changing her to someone she is not. Jing-Mei's mother is offended by this reaction because the only one benefiting from the lesson and training will be indeed Jing-Mei, and she calls out Jing-Mei for being "ungrateful".
After discovering Mr. Chong is deaf, and "his eyes were too slow to keep up with the wrong notes I was playing' (Paragraph 41), Jing-Mei loses the respect and fear any student would hold toward the teacher. She stops correcting her mistake, instead, keeps playing and pretends everything is fine.
Jing-Mei never gives herself a fair chance, she is rebellious, and determined not to be anybody different (Paragraph 43).
Mr. Chong and Jing-Mei's mother decide she will perform at a local talent show. Jing-Mei cheats during the practice, doesn't memorize the whole piece, in contrast with her mother's proud in her, and subsequently inviting all her friends to witness the performance.
Jing-Mei keeps playing wrong notes and making mistakes during the show, the performance is a disaster. Jing-Mei feels devastated, her parents are deeply humiliated, especially with the presence of all their friends.
After the talent show, when Jing-Mei's mother insists she will continue to practice piano, Jing-Mei fights back. She accuses her mother wanting her to become someone she is not, she thinks the piano lessons are a misery, she wishes she is not her mother's daughter, because she can't be the obedient daughter her mother wants, she only wants to stay true to who she is. Jing-Mei's mother never mentions about playing piano after this fight.
In the years after the talent show, Jing-Mei keeps failing her mother's expectations, performing poorly on tests and exams, doesn't attend an Ivey league university, and even drops out college, all on purpose.
Jing-Mei feels distant and disconnected with her mother, for she never understands why her mother dreams so big for her, and never gives up the hope, and she never finds the right opportunity ask.
A turning point of this relationship is when Jing-Mei's mother offers the piano to her as a birthday gift, which she interprets as "a sign of forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed" (Paragraph 84). Jing-Mei also sees this as a victory, that her mother finally respects and accepts who she really is, and stops forcing her to become someone else.
After Jing-Mei's mother passed away, she sends a tuner to recondition the piano; she takes great care of her mother's belongings and heritages: the jewelry, traditional Chinese silk dress, the bright and ugly sweaters that she hated as a child. This is an attempt to repair the relationship she holds with her mother, one filled with misunderstanding, discontent and rebellion for years.
Jing-Mei doesn't discover until being an adult, and losing her mother to death, that on the other side of "Pleading Child", the piano piece that she practiced as a child, is "Perfectly Contented", the other half of the same song.
As a "pleading child, she never appreciates her mother's sacrifices. As an adult, Jing-Mei, may not be "perfectly contented", has found her own passion and talent, and lives the American dreams that her mother can't fulfill herself. Jing-Mei understands now, her mother's good intentions, and her persistent hopes for Jing-Mei.
When Jing-Mei plays the piano after abandoning it for so many years, it surprises her how easily the notes becomes back to her, all those years of high expectations and pressure from her mother, the education, practice, and tests which Jing-Mei sees as misery only felt difficult and challenging as a child.
She finally understands the good intentions behind everything her mother has done for her: the piano lessons, tests, pushing her hard for success, motivation, and never giving up hope on her even in difficult conditions.
Jing-Mei's mother grows up in China, during poverty and warfare, in a conservative and feudal society where women don't have to opportunity to work and to change her social and economic conditions.
Because she doesn't have the opportunity to achieve great success and live the American dream herself, she devotes all her hopes in her daughter, wishes Jing-Mei can be successful, fulfill her potentials; she wants to live her dreams through her daughter.
The historical and social circumstances contribute to the tension and conflict between Jing-Mei and her mother, which explain why Jing-Mei was ungrateful, impatient and rebellious as a child.The "piano and piano lessons" exemplify the struggles between them. The two halves of the same song symbolize the relationship between Jing-Mei and her mother. Discovering "perfectly contented", the other half the song, helps Jing-Mei understand her mother's good intention, she is more mature now and has learned to respect and appreciate all the sacrifices her mother has made to push her for success.
The cultural and social environment that Jing-Mei grows up in liberates her to pursue her own will and dream, free of anyone's control, which leads to her conflict with her mother.