Jing-mei doesn’t want to change herself just to make her mother happy. “why don’t you like the way iam”(103)Tan understands that jing mei is feed up by her mother telling her what to do and trying to change her. Jimg-mei disrespects her and doesn’t care how her mother feels. She also understands that jing-mei is trying to tell her mom that she can’t be a prodigy. When she tells her reflection in the mirror one night that she will not allow her mother to change her, that she will not try to be what she is not, she will show mother in a strong but negative manner.
Uphold her mother’s traditions, but her mother’s memory and identity. This is similar to agree to disagree, even though she has been guilty remains not to go back and didn’t finished college she fears that she has already failed to uphold her mother’s dreams. An-Mei Hsu: Scar In this vignette, the author writes, “So I knew Popo wanted me to forget my mother on purpose, and this is how I came to remember nothing of her” (Tan 42). This quote shows that her mother was ignored. This ties to balance individuality and closeness because An-Mei is easily allowing the balance of connection and separateness fall apart with her mother.
In Moore’s “Which is More That I Can Say”, the role-reversal of the search of identity reinforces the image of the dynamic of fear that both mother and daughter have. Mrs. Mallon’s presence in the short story is described as something repelling and invasive towards her daughter’s decisions in life. Abby, having shaped her identity privately tries to alienate herself from her mother’s stronger character in order to have proper control of her life. Mrs. Mallon showing a risk taking behavior, sees her daughter as “a women who expects too much” due to her performance of actions in life. At the end due to the inability of Abby to succeed in her liberty, she witnesses lack of strength and the fear her mother has at the Blarney Stone.
Act two is more realistic because it’s set in a back yard and includes Marlene’s sister Joyce and her daughter Angie and her friend Kit. Angie is Marlene’s daughter who Joyce adopted so Marlene could work her way up the job ladder and get more success, Marlene didn’t want any kids to get in her way of her individual success. The use of juxtaposition here by Churchill contrasts the reality of act two compared to act one. It contrasts between the fact that in act one Marlene never mentions of thinks about Angie who she gave up as a baby and in act two Angie wants to go down to London to see Marlene her ‘aunt’ because she’s special and Angie has a feeling that Marlene is really her mother. In comparison to Marlene want success and only success Angie doesn’t care about her own individual success which is what women thought about in those times.
Heritage in Alice Walker’s Everyday Use Does Dee really understand her heritage better than Mama and Maggie? In the story Dee makes a big show of understanding her African roots but shows no appreciation for her own family’s history. She visits her family home looking for items that she can use to exhibit her heritage. Dee only has a shallow understanding of her heritage and no desire to live it. Wangero’s quest for her racial and cultural identity mirrors that of the African American community in general.
In Search Of Heritage In the story “Everyday Use” Alice Walker told the story from Mama’s point of view. The theme of this story is of a mother who is trying to cope with changing times and two daughters who are completely different. Having the story told from momma's point of view helps to reveal how momma feels about herself and how she defines her daughters Dee and Maggie. "Everyday Use" is told from momma's point of view which helps to reveal how she feels about herself. Momma feels that she is an uneducated person, she says "I never had an education myself," (157) this creates barriers between her and her daughter Dee who has a college education.
Jing-mei wanted to be her own person so she was determined not to try hard at the piano lessons. Jing-mei says to her mother, "You want me to be someone that I'm not, I'll never be the kind of daughter you want me to be. "(Tan, 51) This external conflict between Jing-mei and her mother serves as a premise for the remaining conflicts in this short story. Another example of conflict, an internal one, is that of Jing-mei's gloomy, sad feeling after she realizes that she cannot become the great person her mother wants her to be. Jing-mei thinks to herself, "After seeing my mother disappointed once again, something inside of me began to die; I hated the tests, the raised hopes, and failed expectations.
Unfortunately, in the process of obtaining an education Dee abandons her family heritage replacing it with a new “modern” way of life. Mama tells the story of Dee’s visit to the family home from college. In “Everyday Use” the narrator, Mama, characterizes herself and her younger daughter, Maggie, as uneducated and ignorant; however, one will find although they did not obtain a college education like Mama’s older daughter Dee, Mama and Maggie are far more knowledgeable of their own heritage than Dee. Despite Dee’s college education, it becomes obvious that when it comes to family heritage she is the one who is ignorant not Mama and Maggie. As the narrator, Mama, describes herself it is evident she has low self esteem.
Dee mistakes her family background for material and desires racial heritage because she went to school with other people and friends with popular ideas. Maggie never experienced school other than her family life. Maggie’s appearance and style shows that heritage is not solely defined by material things. Mama describes Maggie as “… homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe” (Walker 476). The scars on Maggie’s body from the fire have shaped her personality and represent a deeper meaning.
A Psychological look at the Survivalist persona of “Mrs. Linde” from A Doll’s House Mrs. Linde is an immoral survivalist on a quest to provide for her family and attain her aspirations through whatever means are present. At first Mrs. Linde acted selflessly by rejecting her own desires in order to save her family. However, that changed when she was no longer responsible for her family. Mrs. Linde was then able to attain her personal desires, to work and care for others, without worrying about any family obligations.