In the story "Two Kinds," Jing-mei is the daughter, and she is someone who struggles with the pressures that are put on her by her mother. Her mother believes that Jing-mei is some kind of genius, and always pushes her to do more and to be better. Jing-mei, on the other hand, wants to be a regular American girl, and she finds this treatment difficult to tolerate. Jing-mei's personality affects the plot of the story because she is independent and decisive, and she wants to follow her own mind, which often puts her at odds with her mother.