The short stories Desiree’s baby by Kate Chopin, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Kurt Vonnegut, Two Kinds by Amy Tan and Eveline by James Joyce all share a similar concept of an unfortunate and serious tone. This is shown in the text through the theme of family conflict caused by greed and pressure.
The short stories are connected through a similar unfortunate and serious tone and theme of greed causing conflict in the family. In Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin, Armand chooses to protect his family name over his own wife and biological son because of the colour of his son's skin not being white. This is shown in the text as Armand realizes that their baby is not white and accuses Désirée saying, “the child is not white; it means that you …show more content…
Tan emphasises the idea of family conflict through a more modern conflict that our society today is able to relate to. The mother and daughter relationship shows the pressure of cultural differences of an Americanised Chinese daughter and a traditional Chinese mother. Jing’s mother forces Jing to take lessons for multiple activities. As those do not work out, she arranges piano lessons for Jing. Jing feels pressured by her mother who pushes her to do and be someone she is not. This spirals conflict between the two. The narrator explains this in the text which says, "You want me to be something that I'm not!". Her mother's response being "Only two kinds of daughters. Those who are obedient and those who follow”. This indicates how Jing and her mother are two very different people and shows that her mother is influenced by the traditional Chinese culture and Jing is influenced by the American society. This example shows how the cultural differences of the two puts pressure on both the mother and daughter resulting in conflict. In Eveline, James Joyce introduces a similar theme, however, shows a more in depth theme of how the pressure from family can cause inner conflict. Eveline is a nineteen-year-old who takes on the role of a mother after her mother's death. Struggling to take care of her abusive father and business, Eveline considers leaving her hometown and family with her lover to live a
The short stories are connected through a similar unfortunate and serious tone and theme of greed causing conflict in the family. In Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin, Armand chooses to protect his family name over his own wife and biological son because of the colour of his son's skin not being white. This is shown in the text as Armand realizes that their baby is not white and accuses Désirée saying, “the child is not white; it means that you …show more content…
Tan emphasises the idea of family conflict through a more modern conflict that our society today is able to relate to. The mother and daughter relationship shows the pressure of cultural differences of an Americanised Chinese daughter and a traditional Chinese mother. Jing’s mother forces Jing to take lessons for multiple activities. As those do not work out, she arranges piano lessons for Jing. Jing feels pressured by her mother who pushes her to do and be someone she is not. This spirals conflict between the two. The narrator explains this in the text which says, "You want me to be something that I'm not!". Her mother's response being "Only two kinds of daughters. Those who are obedient and those who follow”. This indicates how Jing and her mother are two very different people and shows that her mother is influenced by the traditional Chinese culture and Jing is influenced by the American society. This example shows how the cultural differences of the two puts pressure on both the mother and daughter resulting in conflict. In Eveline, James Joyce introduces a similar theme, however, shows a more in depth theme of how the pressure from family can cause inner conflict. Eveline is a nineteen-year-old who takes on the role of a mother after her mother's death. Struggling to take care of her abusive father and business, Eveline considers leaving her hometown and family with her lover to live a