8th International Conference on the Short Story in English: Crossing Boundaries

Media Messages, Stereotyping, and Identity in Amy Tan’s "Two Kinds" and Sherman Alexie’s "Dear John Wayne"

All media messages are constructed by someone to serve a certain purpose and to target a particular audience. The interpretation of these messages, the acceptance, rejection, or even internalization of them depends on a variety of factors including one’s background, experience, personal bias, and awareness of techniques the media uses to influence the audience. Media messages may indeed seem real but are not necessarily true. Nevertheless, studies have shown time and time again that many people view television and film as learning tools, as reflections of “real” life, which in turn influence their behavior, actions, and can even affect how they define identity.

One particular area of controversy - the stereotyping of ethnic and minority groups in the media - is not only covered in most textbooks and anthologies on the media but can be found in literature. In particular, Amy Tan’s "Two Kinds" and Sherman Alexie’s "Dear John Wayne" deal with stereotyping and certain reoccurring media images like “the American dream” or “the hero archetype”. Not only will I deal with these issues in this paper, but I will also focus on the influence of media messages on identity formation and interpersonal relationships.