`` Two Kinds `` By Amy Tan And The Rocking Horse Winner Essay

The Cusp of Success A common theme we see in the two stories, â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan, and â€Å"The Rocking Horse-Winner† by D.H Lawrence is the detrimental effects that a forcing a bar of success can have on developing adolescents. Recognizing that the product of success is generally good, clouds the notion that there is in fact a wide range of effects that chasing success can bring about. Some of these effects have positive repercussions, teaching adolescents discipline and work ethic. However, some of the effects are quite negative, especially in those that are too young to truly care for themselves. Forcing a cusp of success on adolescents indirectly in â€Å"The Rocking Horse-Winner† or directly in â€Å"Two Kinds† pushes the children to achieve the impossible resulting in a breaking point in the adolescent characters. Paul is infatuated with luck for after being convinced that luck is the bane of his father and family he feels as if he is responsible for maintain ing his family s happiness with the success that his luck brings. Whispers that creep through his house are whispers of depression and doubt that plague Paul driving him forwards thus he states, â€Å"I started it for mother. She said she had no luck, because father is unlucky, so I thought if I was lucky, it might stop the whispering (Lawrence 8). Paul finds himself encumbered with the burden of maintaining a family s happiness. As an adolescent hoping to please his mother Paul must push himself past the limit of theShow MoreRelatedEmpaty Lacking Essay1662 Words   |  7 Pagesoccurs that prevents the parent from empathy. The stories â€Å"Two Kinds, and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† show that a parent’s lack of empathy impacts the child’s search for the self in the following phases: first, the search for the self is stunted and replaced with a mantra; second, the mantra intensifies; in the last stage, the consequences are revealed. After the first conversation between Paul and Hester, his mother, in â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†, Paul’s natural search for the self enters the first