Moments of realization are important themes in the short stories
             "Everyday Use" and "Two Kinds." Both stories describe characters that
             undergo a change when they gain a broader understanding of life. By
             creating situations that allow their characters to discover something
             important about themselves, Alice Walker and Amy Tan help us understand how
             Both stories focus on mother and daughter relationships. In "Everyday
             Use," Walker demonstrates how a mother discovers the truth about her two
             daughters and herself as well. For instance, in the beginning of the
             story, the narrator describes Maggie as "a lame animal, perhaps a dog run
             over by some careless person . . . sidle up to someone who is ignorant
             enough to be kind to them" (1423). However, she changes her mind about
             Maggie, after she offers Dee the quilts. This action causes the narrator
             to feel something like the "spirit of God" (1428) that makes her happy and
             makes her want to shout. (1428) The mother realizes that looks are not
             everything and despite how Maggie looks and acts, she is a better person
             than the pretty Dee. She also realizes how she is content with her life
             just as it is, regardless if Maggie approves of it or not.
             Similarly, Jing-Mei struggles with her mother's attempts to turn her
             into something that she is not. For example, she forces her to pay the
             piano, which makes Jing-Mei feel as thought she had been "sent to hell"
             (146). Jing-Mei resists her mother's desire so much, that she sabotages
             herself. She admits that she might have been a good pianist at an early
             age, but she was "so determined not to try" (148). It is only after her
             mother's death that Jing-Mei appreciates her efforts. She reconciles the
             pleading child she was with the contented adult she has become by realizing
             her mother was only trying to help her.
             In conclusion, both stories revolve around life-changing realizations
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