Topic > Analysis of the story "The Rules of the Games" by Amy Tan

I decided to analyze the rules of the games in Amy Tan's story. This critical essay is informative and its sole purpose is to emphasize the literary work of the author. Development of central ideas, cultural conflict and identity, as well as the continuous psychological quarrel between daughter and mother, are the main stages of this essay. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Analysis In this story: Waverly must hold her tongue (remain silent to win; self-control) to get candy as a reward, and these forbidden candy are representations of the condition through social and physical elements. Waverly's mother taught her "the art of invisible strength; it was a strategy to win arguments, respect from others" (1423) and also about the wind which represented ancestral wisdom, inner strength and represented courage, it also represented one's conscience which is important to Chinese people. Cultural identity is represented by Waverly's mother's dignity of being Chinese, by her mentality that Chinese culture is better than American. "Chinese people do business, they do medicine, they do painting. We do torture. The best torture" ( 1425). Waverly's mother raised her children to exercise silence and power over their true emotions. He taught them to appreciate unwanted gifts like second-hand chess sets. According to gender differences according to Chinese culture. Waverly gets a little nickname such as "meimei" which means little sister in Chinese while her siblings have a deep and vibrant nickname like Winston and Vincent Waverly's mother was proud of her daughter being the national chess champion and stated that the Chinese do everything better. The cultural conflict is represented by the fact that Waverly is named after her family's address "Waverly Place" and thus their claims to the United States. Furthermore, her mother, contrary to Chinese gender roles, changes the rules at home as Waverly can devote all her time to chess and feels relieved from having to do the dishes, witnessing this as “new American rules” (1428) while now his brother is responsible for it. The unfinished psychological battle between daughter and mother is represented by Waverly's struggle for control as she views her mother as an adversary as she states, "I could see the yellow lights shining from our apartment like two tiger's eyes in the night" (1430 ) and considers himself a victim of his mother's invisible powers. She confronts her mother during their shopping trip "I wish you wouldn't do that, telling everyone I'm your daughter." He also says "why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, why don't you learn to play chess?" Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay According to her mother's thinking, Waverly's success is the success of their family while Waverly's American beliefs that her successes are the success of her individual. He is ashamed of his mother, his family and his race. When Waverly requires less ostentation, her mother calls her a stupid girl. Therefore her mother exercises her invisible powers and thus gives her the silent treatment by pretending to ignore Waverly's existence. Conclusion According to my thesis, "The Player's Rules of Life" also depicts the mental prison that seeks individual achievement. This is the game of life, and Waverly is learning to apply the real-life rules taught by her mother. He understands that he must emphasize his..