In Amy TanÆs (1980) Two Kinds, Katherine MansfieldÆs (1922) The Garden-Party and Willa CatherÆs (1905) PaulÆs Case, we see, respectively, an epiphany occur in Jing-Mei, conflict between her own and her family values in Laura, and symbols substituted for manhood by Paul. Primarily, all three of these characters experience these situations because of a clash between their own perspective and values and those of others. In Jing-MeiÆs case it is conflict with her motherÆs domination and valuation of her. In LauraÆs case it is conflict between her values of others and the conflicting valuations of others held by her family. In PaulÆs case, there is conflict between his desires for respect and manhood in a social setting that oppresses these aspects in African American men. In all three characters, newfound understanding and consciousness result from their conflict over artificial valuations of self and other.
In Amy TanÆs (1980) Two Kinds, we see that Jing-Mei is Chinese American, a daughter dominated by her Chinese mother. Her mother only seems to value Jing-Mei as a ôpossession,ö someone who is alive in order to compete with others to make her look good. She attempts to force Jing-Mei to accept the role she has defined for her, a musical prodigy so she can compete with her friendÆs daughter and show her up. This kind of artificial imposition of values and ambition on Jing-Mei causes her to have an epiphany, but the issue was painful enough of an ordeal two decades later the narrator is reliving it in this story. She learns she is not such a ôsadö or ôuglyö girl and has her own mind and powers, ôAnd then I saw what seemed to be the prodigy side of meùbecause I had never seen that face before. I looked at my reflection, blinking so I could see more clearly,ö (Tan, 1980, p. 1279).
In Katherine MansfieldÆs (1922) The Garden-Party, we see the narrator Laura also clashes with the va
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