Two Kinds

Suyuan is a first-generation Chinese immigrant who moved to the United States in 1949 after losing her parents, her husband, and her two young children. She is a determined woman who expects obedience from her daughter. Jing-mei says of her mother, “America was where all my mother’s hopes lay” (2). She believes in the American dream, the concept of upward mobility, and in the genius of her young daughter, whom she sees as a prodigy. She is willing to put maximum effort into her daughter’s upbringing. During Jing-mei’s childhood, Suyuan cleans homes for a living, taking on extra clients and shifts in order to provide for her daughter.

At the time of the current narration, Suyuan has died, leaving behind her husband and adult daughter. While Jing-mei has given up on her genius abilities, Suyuan never did, insisting until her death that if her daughter had been willing to apply herself further, she would have mastered the piano and anything else she put her mind to.

Mr. Chong is a retired piano teacher who lives in the Woos’ apartment complex and agrees to take Jing-mei on as a student as a trade-off for cleaning services from her mother, Suyuan. He and Jing-mei have weekly lessons for approximately a year before the talent show. While Jing-mei reflects that he was relatively young at the time, as a child she referred to him as “Old Chong,” and was critical of his bald patch.

Mr. Chong had gone deaf before his retirement and was only able to keep time and watch Jing-mei’s hands without hearing her play. As a result, Jing-mei develops lazy habits that Mr. Chong doesn’t notice. At the talent show, he is the only member of the audience who genuinely claps after Jing-mei’s performance.

Waverly has grown up alongside Jing-mei and is her main rival amongst her peers in Chinatown. Her mother, Lindo Jong, is a member of the Joy Luck Club and is also a first-generation Chinese immigrant. Waverly is a prominent chess player in the community, having earned the title of “Chinatown’s Littlest Chinese Chess Champion.” She is confident in her genius, as is her mother; they brag about the number of awards she has won and how many trophies she keeps in her room.

Of Waverly, Jing-mei has this to say: “We had grown up together and shared all the closeness of two sisters squabbling over crayons and dolls. In other words, for the most part, we hated each other” (15-16). Jing-mei refers to her as “snotty” and acts toward her with disdain. However, she certainly places some value on Waverly’s opinion of her, as she is as driven as her mother is to beat Waverly in any contest of intellect or talent.