"Royal Beatings" by Alice Munro and "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan delve into the lives of parents and children who live in the lower income bracket. This essay will focus on the parent/child relationship. The relationship is governed by the knowledge that sometimes parents never really understand their children, and the power struggles that ensue between them. The two stories can be viewed from the attitudes and behaviours between the parents and their children, how the conflict between parent and child gets constructed, and the aftermath of the conflict. In "Royal Beatings," Rose has no respect for Flo as her stepmother. Flo isn't an intellectual person—Flo thinks Spinoza is a vegetable, whereas Rose already is at an age where she "had
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Jong and her daughter, Waverly, in "Rules of the Game" is based on respect that is bestowed to the parent due to Waverly's cultural background. Mrs. Jong wants Waverly to learn the "art of invisible strength" (Tan, 1490). She is a mother who is full of pride regarding Waverly's achievements, and takes a somewhat overbearing interest in her life. For instance, when Waverly wins her chess games in the outdoor playground, Mrs. Jong "sat proudly ... luck," (Tan, 1494). Waverly in return has no desire to upset her mother. For example, secretly Waverly wants to go to the local chess championships, but fears to "bring shame on" her family and ultimately her mother (Tan, 1494). Waverly has no wish to disrespect her mother's …show more content…
Flo feels some remorse after Rose receives physical punishment from her father. This remorse begins to form before the beatings commence when she makes the comment "... don't be too hard on her" (Munro, 1080). The feeling of guilt becomes more prominent when Flo brings Rose some cold cream to ease the pain after the thrashing (Munro, 1082). Although Rose never wants to speak to her father and Stepmother again, the family ends up having dinner. They all go back to their usual routine, as if the incident has been put behind them. In contrast, Waverly gets ignored by her family and goes into her imaginary world. Mrs Jang does not forgive or forget so easily. After the conflict, no one in Waverly's family pays attention to her. This was brought about by Mrs. Jang's anger when she said "We not concerning ... concerning for us" (Tan, 1497). Life doesn't go back to normal for Waverly and Mrs. Jang like it does for Flo and Rose. Waverly has to figure out her next move on how to fix her relationship with her
Jong and her daughter, Waverly, in "Rules of the Game" is based on respect that is bestowed to the parent due to Waverly's cultural background. Mrs. Jong wants Waverly to learn the "art of invisible strength" (Tan, 1490). She is a mother who is full of pride regarding Waverly's achievements, and takes a somewhat overbearing interest in her life. For instance, when Waverly wins her chess games in the outdoor playground, Mrs. Jong "sat proudly ... luck," (Tan, 1494). Waverly in return has no desire to upset her mother. For example, secretly Waverly wants to go to the local chess championships, but fears to "bring shame on" her family and ultimately her mother (Tan, 1494). Waverly has no wish to disrespect her mother's …show more content…
Flo feels some remorse after Rose receives physical punishment from her father. This remorse begins to form before the beatings commence when she makes the comment "... don't be too hard on her" (Munro, 1080). The feeling of guilt becomes more prominent when Flo brings Rose some cold cream to ease the pain after the thrashing (Munro, 1082). Although Rose never wants to speak to her father and Stepmother again, the family ends up having dinner. They all go back to their usual routine, as if the incident has been put behind them. In contrast, Waverly gets ignored by her family and goes into her imaginary world. Mrs Jang does not forgive or forget so easily. After the conflict, no one in Waverly's family pays attention to her. This was brought about by Mrs. Jang's anger when she said "We not concerning ... concerning for us" (Tan, 1497). Life doesn't go back to normal for Waverly and Mrs. Jang like it does for Flo and Rose. Waverly has to figure out her next move on how to fix her relationship with her