Question

I was a dainty ballerina girl standing by the curtains, waiting to hear the right music that would send me floating on my tiptoes. I was like the Christ child lifted out of the straw manger, crying with holy indignity. I was Cinderella stepping from her pumpkin carriage with sparkly cartoon music filling the air.

In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk for anything.

–“Two Kinds,”
Amy Tan

The narrator is motivated by a desire for
.

What evidence in the text best supports this conclusion?

Answer 1

The narrator is motivated by a desire for her parents’ approval and adoration (to be perfect and loved).

Evidence: “In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk for anything.” The Cinderella and Christ‑child images also show her longing for a magical transformation that will make her loved and admired.