Two Kinds is a short story by Amy Tan from her acclaimed collection The Joy Luck Club. It tells the emotionally layered tale of a Chinese-American girl named Jing-mei (also called June) and her complicated relationship with her mother. At the heart of the story is a clash of cultures, expectations, and identities—a mother’s desire for success and a daughter’s struggle to define herself on her own terms.

The story begins in San Francisco, not long after Jing-mei and her parents emigrated from China. Jing-mei’s mother, who lost everything in China—including her first husband and twin daughters—believes fiercely in the American Dream. She’s convinced that in America, anyone can be anything: a movie star, a prodigy, a genius. And she’s determined that her daughter will be just that—something great. A child prodigy.

At first, Jing-mei is open to the idea. As a little girl, she imagines herself dazzling the world. Her mother tests her with various methods—reading magazine articles about gifted children, showing her photographs of child stars like Shirley Temple, and quizzing her on capitals, math problems, or trivia. But none of it sticks. Jing-mei quickly realizes she isn’t perfect and feels like she’s constantly disappointing her mother.

Eventually, her mother latches on to the idea of turning Jing-mei into a piano prodigy. She sees a talent show on television and decides her daughter can become the next great pianist. By luck, or fate, they meet Mr. Chong, an elderly retired piano teacher who lives in their building. Despite being deaf and slightly forgetful, Mr. Chong agrees to give Jing-mei lessons. Her mother barters housecleaning services in exchange for the lessons.

Jing-mei, however, isn’t interested. While she goes to her lessons each week, she puts in minimal effort. She quickly realizes that Mr. Chong can’t hear well enough to notice her mistakes, so she coasts through the practices, never truly learning to play. To her, this is a small rebellion. If she can’t be herself, then at least she can control her failure.

Then comes the turning point: a local talent show. Her mother signs her up to perform a piano piece—“Pleading Child.” Jing-mei, feeling secure in the belief that no one will notice her mistakes, doesn’t practice. But when the big day comes, she steps onto the stage with false confidence and completely fails. She plays horribly—off-key, stumbling, painfully—and the audience is shocked. Her mother is devastated, though she hides it.

After the performance, Jing-mei expects her mother to be angry or disappointed, but she isn’t. Instead, her mother simply remains quiet and determined. The next day, she tells Jing-mei to continue her piano practice. This time, Jing-mei rebels openly. She screams, she cries, and she refuses. And in the heat of the moment, she says something cruel: “I wish I wasn’t your daughter. I wish you weren’t my mother.”

It’s a moment that defines their relationship for years to come. Jing-mei’s mother never brings up the piano again. The dream dies. But the silence between them, and the weight of that failed moment, lingers.

Years later, as an adult, Jing-mei reflects on the experience. After her mother dies, she inherits the old piano. At first, she sees it as a symbol of resentment and failure. But over time, her perspective softens. She has the piano tuned and sits down to play again. She realizes that the song she had once butchered—“Pleading Child”—has a companion piece: “Perfectly Contented.” Together, they form a pair—two kinds.

This final realization gives the story its name and its deepest meaning. “Two Kinds” is about contrasts: parent and child, hope and disappointment, self and expectation, East and West. Jing-mei realizes that she doesn’t have to choose between being a “pleading child” or a “perfectly contented” one. Both exist within her. She can carry her mother’s hopes without being defined by them.