The short stories, “Two Kinds,” by Amy Tan and “I Stand Here Ironing,” by Tillie Olsen, describe tense relationships between mother and daughter. In “Two Kinds” Tan’s focus is on the culture clashes, personalities, and bonds between them. It is an intercultural story about the collision between two distinct cultures and a battle of wills between two incompatible characters. The narrator, Jing-Mei, is the Chinese American daughter struggling with her mother who arrives in the U.S. in 1949, seeking a new start from her misery and suffering former life in China. Personally, I resonate with Tan’s story since I arrived in America as a young adult, having been thrust into a culture unlike my homeland, and had to work hard to fit in. Out of these two stories, I prefer the mother in “Two Kinds” because she has high expectations for her daughter, requires obedience from her, and struggles to establish her own identity in her new world. The mother strives for perfection from Jing through a path of high expectations, which she feels is practical and optimistic, in order to reach her goal. She concentrates solely on molding her daughter into maintaining a balance between her Asian traditions and her American lifestyle. Moreover, she inspires her daughter to be tops in every aspect of her life since she believes in her daughter’s ability to become a prodigy. Jing mentions, “America was where all my mother’s hops lay...my mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. You could work for the government...could buy a house with almost no money down. You could become rich. You could become instantly famous” (Tan 305). These high expectations confuse the daughter with too many choices; on the other hand, the mother wants her to be competitive and do her best. She tells her daughter, “only ask you be your best” (Tan 308). Jing’s mother grew up in traditional Chines culture, which contrasts with modern American lifestyle; consequently, it is hard for Jing to understand her mother’s point of view because she is being raised in America. Furthermore she is not mature enough to realize that her mother is more experienced in dealing with life’s difficulties because of her mother’s hard times as a child. However with her mother’s encouragement through firm and practical guidance, Jing will become self-sufficient. The mother’s personality is reflected by her insistence on strict obedience re