Final Answer:
Jing-mei's Expectation: Jing-mei anticipates her mother to be understanding, accepting Jing-mei's decision to be herself and not pursue the piano.
Actual Reaction of Mother:The mother reacts with disappointment, a mix of hurt and frustration, conveying a sense of dashed hopes and unfulfilled expectations
Step-by-step explanation:
Jing-mei, the protagonist in "Two Kinds," holds an expectation of her mother's reaction based on her assumption of her mother's understanding nature. She imagines that her mother will accept her decision to be herself, avoiding the burden of fulfilling her mother's ambitions. Jing-mei anticipates her mother's acknowledgment of her individuality and her chosen path, believing her mother will empathize with her perspective and respect her decisions.
However, the reality starkly contrasts Jing-mei's expectations. When Jing-mei openly expresses her refusal to continue pursuing the piano, her mother reacts with deep disappointment and hurt. Instead of understanding Jing-mei's perspective, her mother conveys a mixture of feelings—dashed hopes, unfulfilled aspirations, and frustration. The mother's reaction illustrates her invested dreams and sacrifices for Jing-mei's success, leading to a profound sense of disappointment and a perceived loss of Jing-mei's potential.
This discrepancy between Jing-mei's expectation and her mother's actual reaction emphasizes the inherent gap in their understanding. It reveals the divergence in their perspectives and the lack of genuine communication between them. Jing-mei's realization that she doesn't know her mother as well as she thought comes from this jarring realization, which demonstrates the depth of their miscommunication and the unspoken expectations between them.