Why Be a Prodigy?

What are the reasons for the mother wanting her daughter to excel? What motivates Jing-Mei to try to fulfill expectations?

I believe there a few reasons why Jing-Mei's mother wants her daughter to excel. Since her mother immigrated from China to escape oppression, she views America as a true land of opportunity, able to do practically anything. To take advantage of this she wants her daughter to find and/or develop a talent that can be further developed. This is the large, overlaying reason. Another more subtle reason is the fact that she may be trying to live her life through her daughter's. Because she never experienced the opportunity to develop talents, when she sees Jing-Mei's opportunity to do so, she pushes her daughter to grasp the experiences because she wants the best for her, and because she wishes to re-live her life through her daughter. In addition, in context to the story's background, her mother was part of the Joy Luck Club. In the club, the mothers would compete against one another based on their chil(ren)'s accomplishments, and after Linda continues to brag about her daughter Waverly's exemplary chess skills, she may feel a little threatened. As a result, if Jing-Mei excels, then she can be able to brag about her daughter as well.

Some of these reasons are acceptable, while others are not.

Jing-Mei wishes to succeed because she had it in her mind that she could one day become famous, if she found the right skill to develop. She also believed that when she did become famous, she could in essence become "perfect," and she would be accepted and loved by her parents. Unfortunately, after continual failure, this motivation slowly diminished.

Do my parents push me? How do I react?

My parents have been extremely good to me. They created a safe and secure environment for my childhood, and put their time and effort into raising and teaching me, and allowing me to go to an American school for my entire educational career. They work hard to make money, and work even harder so that I may have a successful future career and life. Though this probably is an obligation, I can perceive effort wherever it is found, and I see much effort here. As a result it is my obligation to respect my parents, honor their decisions, and aim towards a prosperous future (though I have to admit, too many a time I fall short of expectations).

The general expectations of my parents are good grades, a high SAT score, an admittance into a reputable college, and major in medicine. They also expect moral behavior and a socially adept person. I honor their expectations because 1) they are what I expect to do anyways and 2) I respect their decisions and know that it is for the best. I admit my grades falter, I procrastinate, and swear occasionally (alright, pretty often), but now I think about it I do hope to accomplish these goals. 

When I was younger, I took a few music lessons, as well as swimming. They all started out okay, but it always wasn't long before I started complaining, whining, and refusing. Soon all the classes were dropped.

I think back now and realize that I probably should not have quit so soon (but I have to admit, I don't have a single ounce of musical talent within me). This goes for all the things that I refused to do, because in the end I usually realize that it was for my own good that I was sent to the classes (speaking of which this summer I was sent to a school to study Chinese, which I initially disliked, but later I realized that it significantly improved my Chinese reading abilities).

As a result I have come to the knowledge that my parents know what is best for me, and are not like Mei-Ling's parents. They know I have limits, and I can sit down and discuss concerns with them to work things out. I submit to them and do not argue, but will reason with them.