Question

Why does Jing-mei refuse to take the piano lessons in the scene above? Think about the context of the scene. You may need to review the story and your notes on Jing-mei.

This is from the short story "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan

Answer 1

Jing-mei is certain, based on past experiences with her mother's prodigy ideas, that she is going to fail at playing the piano. She doesn't want to disappoint her mother and herself again, and she feels like her mother is expecting too much of her.

Answer 2

The answer is: Jing-mei was tired of trying to please her mother and never being enough for her.

Jing-mei's mother was obssessed with the idea that he daughter was some kind of a genius. She quizzed Jing-mei in different subjects suchs as mathematics and geography hoping to descover her hiddent talents.

That's why she whined and complained when her mother, after seein a piano concert on TV given by a little Chinese girl, told her that she was to start practicing piano. Jing-mei felt that her mother was not content with her, and that she kept trying to make her into something that she was not.