Introduction: Amy Tan’s story, “Rules of the Game,” takes place in San Francisco’s Chinatown, where Waverly Jong lives with her parents and two brothers. Waverly is a chess prodigy who took place in many competitions. Her mother Mrs. Jong is very proud of Waverly, maybe more. Her mother tells her lots of things she thinks Waverly needs to know to survive in the world, but unfortunately, Mrs. Jong’s advice comes across as nagging. Through Waverly and Mrs. Jong's relationship, arrogance can result in a labored relationship.
Body paragraph 1:
In the beginning of the story, the short sentences reveals the strained relationship. “‘This American rules...Don’t know why, you find out yourself. But they knowing all the time..Better …show more content…
Jong is pretentious in front of Waverly. “‘Next time win more, lose less’.... ‘Better to lose, see if you really need’” (Pg. 4). Mrs. Jong acts like she knows more about chess than her daughter. Waverly had been studying chess meticulously, for a long time, and for her mother to act ignorant, made matters worse. Mrs. Jong’s struggle for control caused even more space between the two. Mrs. Jong feels like she is responsible for Waverly’s success, but Waverly has a different perspective. Waverly feels like her mother does not know much about the tactics and strategies of chess. Since their knowledge is on two different levels, it causes clash. Furthermore, “Her lips would be sealed tight, and after each move I made, a soft ‘Hmmmmph’ would escape from her nose” (Pg. 5). Mrs. Jong tries to manipulate her daughter to make her achieve her best, without letting Waverly think for herself. When Mrs. Jong shows her ego by acting like she knows what she is doing she is creating a conflict in the relationship and distancing their relationship..
Body paragraph 3:
Finally, Mrs. Jong used Waverly to heighten her reputation. “‘This is my daughter, Waverly Jong,’ she said to whoever looked her way” (Pg. 5). Mrs. Jong feels the need to be accepted and high status among other people. To achieve that she uses Waverly and using her as a display. Waverly felt like her mother didn’t care for her and only cared about Mrs. Jong’s status. Waverly runs away from the problem, causing distance …show more content…
For example, Mrs. Jong’s concealment resulted in conflict. Also, when Waverly’s mother was pretentious in front of Waverly. Finally, when Mrs. Jong used Waverly as a display to heighten her reputation. Waverly and Mrs. Jong have many conflicts that resulted in a distanced relationship. This story lives by the quote, “Relationship never dies a natural death, they are murdered by ego, attitude and