MOMMIE DEAREST

By Malisa Hipshur

Both Laurie Colwin’s "An Old-Fashioned Story" and Amy Tan’s "Two Kinds" have strong mother characters. Colwin’s story centers on an upper-class white family who live in New York. Tan’s story centers on a lower-class Chinese family who live in Chinatown. In both stories the mother is a dominant figure who tries to mold her daughter into someone else.

In both stories the mothers have their daughters’ lives planned out for them. In Colwin’s "An Old-Fashioned Story," Elinor Leopold, the mother, wants Elizabeth, the daughter, to be a "proper" young lady. Then she is to grow up and be a "proper" young woman and marry Nelson, the boy next door. This serves as the major conflict between mother and daughter. In Tan’s "Two Kinds," the mother wants Jing-Mei, the daughter, to be a "prodigy" and become famous. This serves as the major conflict between mother and daughter.

Everything was done to ensure that the daughters live up to the mother’s expectations. Nelson and Elizabeth were brought up together "in order to ensure their happy future"(65). Also many times Elizabeth is forced into Nelson’s company. Elinor wants Nelson for a son-in-law and does her best to arrange it. While Jing-Mei faces a different problem, it is much the same principle. Her mother is obsessed with the idea of Jing-Mei being a prodigy. She devises tests to see what she is good at. Every day she tests her until she decides Jing-Mei is going to be a piano prodigy.

In their own way both mothers are trying to control a daughter who does not want to be controlled. The daughters want to decide their own future. Elizabeth wants the ultimate freedom, being able to read whatever she wants, and Jing-Mei wants to be independent and make her own way too. Both mothers have a hard time letting go of their daughters and losing that control.

There is a key difference between the two stories. In Colwin’s "An Old-Fashioned Story," Elinor has more opportunities to mold Elizabeth through things like riding lessons. The money the Leopold have makes it easier to have Elizabeth get involved in things that a "proper" young lady should be involved in. Jing-Mei’s family does not have that luxury. They must barter and save to mold their daughter.

Another difference between the two stories is their respective resolutions. In "An Old-Fashioned Story" Elinor gets what she wants. While Elizabeth does not do it the way her mother had planned, she does fall for Nelson. In "Two Kinds" the mother does not get what she desires. Her daughter exercises the right to disappoint and does not become a prodigy.

In both "An Old-Fashioned Story" and "Two Kinds," the mother is a strong character who tries to mold her daughter’s life. The expectations and dreams of the mothers and daughters, however, are at odds. The path the mothers take to acceptance is a painful one. In the end each daughter lives her life her own way.