The struggles of power in a parent to child relationship can end in demise between the two. Often, parents will assume the position of authority by demanding that their children follow by their rules of life and no other. It could force the child to ignore their own optimistic ideals and grow older to develop their own since of mind; yet hide it because they know their parents won’t approve. Or, in some other cases, they rebel at a younger age and the parents refuse to comply with their child’s independence. The fight for power in relationships with parents and children are shown in the short stories “The Rules of The Game” by Amy Tan and “Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” by Nam Le as they both involve a clash between an overpowering parent who’s fixated on their own ideals and an independent child who wishes to follow their own optimistic sense of mind. “Rules of the Game” tells the story of a six year old girl, Waverly Jong who was born in America, but forced to adopt her mother’s Chinese rules of conduct. They both have a psychological battle while both are trying to gain an upper hand in the relationship. “Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Sacrifice” conveys the story of a Vietnamese boy named Nam who’s at the Iowa’s writer workshop and trying to find his voice. When his father visits, it becomes evident how his sense of writing and self is devastated.
