Two Kinds

“My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America.” 

This is the opening sentence of the story, and it sets up the tone for the narrative to come and a main theme that applies to many immigrants’ stories. They are often seeking out a better life in a new country, particularly the United States, where there is a strong sense of freedom and equality. The mother has strong ambitions for her daughter based on her own life and her drive to make it to the United States.

“At first my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple.” 

The narrator describes this figure of the Chinese Shirley Temple after watching old movies of the curly-haired child actress singing and dancing. Her mother encouraged her to imitate the actress, going as far as to try to get her hair to look like Shirley Temple. There is a disconnect between not only her mother’s faith in her and the narrator’s natural ability, but also the mother’s means of equalizing the two.

“‘Peter Pan is very popular these days,’ the instructor assured my mother.” 

There is humor in the disaster underlying this story. After visiting the salon for her transformation, the narrator is left with a severe, boyish haircut. The hairdresser in training tries to claim that the look is fashionable, while the mother laments.