Rules Of The Game Respect Character Analysis

Respect: Something Earned, Not Given

Respect is a very valuable thing; especially in cultures such as the Chinese. It is one of the aspects in life that must be earned, not taken for granite. Respect is also very difficult to obtain, yet it is so common that nine year old chess prodigies can harness it. One does not have to be as brave a knight or as powerful as a king in order to gain respect, but the use of “invisible strength,” according to Amy Tan’s, “Rules of the Game,” is the power needed to access respect. Waverly, the protagonist in “Rules of the Game,” uses invisible strength to gain respect from others by listening to the teachings of her mother, being knowledgeable about the thing that interests her, and learning to be gracious in losing as well as in winning.
Waverly learns invisible strength from the teachings and actions of her mother. At the early age of six, Waverly is taught to “bite back [her] tongue,” in order to be able to receive the things that she wants in life. In other words, she must be quiet and respectful in order to get respect. Her mother makes an analogy to the wind while explaining invisible
She reads the rules, buys books, and learns everything she can about chess. As she strives for sharper and keener knowledge, her skill level increases. She learns new tactics and other ways of showing her deadly invisible strength. Waverly reports, “A little knowledge withheld is a great advantage one should store for future use,” as she is careful not to reveal the secrets behind her power. As a reward for this tremendous interest, her mother coaches Waverly to use fewer men and not to give up. Waverly gets visited by the wind her mother was referring to earlier and it whispers to tell Waverly what moves to make and how to win. This wind symbolizes her mother’s teachings and how they are so instilled inside of Waverly’s