Short Stories Rules of the Game Summary & Themes by Amy Tan
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Themes
Alienation
Waverly parents move to a new country having left China. This creates a constant struggle between their American lives and Chinese values. Chess is seen as a compromise for Waverly but it is also subjected to scrutiny by her mother.
Even though Lindo loves her daughter, she cannot accept her living a life based on foreign American morals and preferences. Waverly, on the other hand, feels pressurized into adopting Chinese values which are alien to her.
Independence & Restriction
Her mother keeps a constant oversight over all her actions and this further suffocates her life. This comes to a head when Waverly ends up running away from her mother at the supermarket.
Mental Games
Since chess is a pivotal part of the story; many of its characters are shown to be manipulative and controlling. Lindo is a controlling mother who tries to manipulate her kids in order to inculcate good values in them.
Even though her intentions are pure, she uses mind games and manipulation to obtain her goals. Waverly learns the same from her mother. This ability to calculate helps her become a skilled chess player but corrupts her childlike innocence.
This constant warring of minds creates a rift between the two and seeds distrust. Finally, Waverly acknowledges her mother as her biggest competitor and then her well-wisher.
Experience & Childhood
Waverly's success robs her off her innocence. Even though she is just a kid, she is expected to behave like an adult. All her victories pile up more pressure her to work harder and improve. This limits her time to do the mundane stuff that other kids do. Her childhood is arrested by her experience as a gifted chess player and competitor.
Home
Home is where people find refuge from all the anxieties of life, however, for Waverly; home is the main cause of her anxieties. Her family and especially her strict mother become a cause for worry and tension rather than a source of trust and support.
As she succeeds in chess, she gets more alienated from her mother and family. This rift destroys her young life and she becomes more manipulative and distrusting. In the end, she starts to view her family members (esp. her mother) as an adversary rather than her beloved.
Summary
Story of a Family
The story is about family dynamic and relationships. It is based in California. The main character is a girl named Waverly Jong. She has two siblings and loving parents. Like any protective parent, her mother is very critical and judgmental of all her actions. She tries to teach her daughter good "Chinese" values but can often be rude.
Waverly loves to play and frolic with his brothers on the street. However, she finds her true calling in another sport. One day, after Church, her brother gifts a chess set. Even though her mother does not approve of gifts, the kids start to play the game. Waverly also joins in. Soon, she becomes better at it than her brothers.
As her success fuels her desire to learn, she reads books on the game and keeps improving. To test her skills, she even challenges the old man in the Park for a match. She gets beaten but her performance impresses the old man who decides to tutor her.
Waverly Shines
Under new mentorship, Waverly begins to shine. Her mother brushes her wins as mere lucky but deep inside she is proud of her accomplishments.
Climbing the ladder of success, Waverly ends up becoming a national chess champion. However, it comes at the price of her childhood and innocent fun on the streets. Her life becomes restricted to school and practice.
To make matters worse, she has to bear the constant scrutiny of her mother. Her mother even takes her out to the market and bag about her accomplishments publicly.
Waverly Runs Away
Waverly finally snaps and tries to run away from her mother, her home and the constant control. However, she is only nine and soon realizes that there is no other place for her to go to. Deflated and confused she returns home to a disgruntled mother and disapproving family.
She goes to her room and ponders over her options. She realizes that her mother is the fiercest chess competitor she has ever faced and must come with an intelligent plan to topple her.
Short Stories Summary Rules of the Game & Themes by Amy Tan