Abstract
This article explores the cultural ambivalence experienced by Chinese Americans in Amy Tan's story "Two Kinds" from The Joy Luck Club in which the mother and daughter - Suyuan and Jing-Mei or June - respectively go through conflict of their American desires and Chinese value system. Such kind of conflict exists in the diaspora community while the immigrants struggle for their survival in the host land by keeping the values of homeland intact in their thoughts and deeds. In terms of Chinese American people, the cultural conflict has deteriorated relationship between two generations in family accounts and such conflict has become a culture per se in Chinese community. Mother Suyuan, born and brought up in China, imposes her desire of American dream in her daughter with a Chinese thought that daughters should be obedient to their mothers. However, daughter Jing-Mei, born and brought up in the USA pursues individualism and defies obedience. Drawing on the concepts of diasporan hybridity and ambivalence as well as cultural identity theory of Stuart Hall, this article views Chinese American identity as a site of negotiation rather than resolution. Chinese American identity has sustained a conflict and contradiction affecting familial harmony in the new land. While analyzing this story the researchers exploit the insight of diaspora that portrays the position of immigrants as 'in-between' in host land. This article focuses on 'why mother Suyuan desires prodigy in her daughter in the USA and the daughter June defies her mother's imposition.'