Rules Of The Game By Amy Tan Summary

Though at a glance one may act as if they know everything, they are often not wise enough to see where they truly stand. Sometimes a good fall is necessary for an individual to acquire such wisdom. The short story, “Rules of the Game,” written by Amy Tan, demonstrates how easily one can assume their stance in a struggle for power. Waverly Place Jong, a young girl not yet ten years old, finds herself in a struggle for power with her mother when she becomes a national chess champion. When the power struggle comes to a boiling point, Waverly demonstrates that though her knowledge is great, she has much to learn.

At a very young age, Waverly became interested in the game of chess, eventually changing the dynamic between she and her mother. …show more content…
When practicing chess, Waverly became very annoyed by her mother’s presence: “‘Ma, I can’t practice when you stand there like that’” (Tan 12). Waverly did not yet understand that her mother did not mean to distract her, that she just wanted to admire and observe the skills she possessed. This repeated incident added to Waverly’s frustration with her mother, and eventually lead to a boiling point in their power struggle. Every Saturday, Waverly’s mother would take her out when shopping for groceries, and would mention that Waverly was her daughter to anyone who looked their way. Waverly became angry, and could not take the battle for power for any longer: “‘Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why don’t you learn to play chess’ . . . I jerked my hand out of my mother’s tight grasp and . . . raced down the street” (Tan 13). Lacking the wisdom to really see where she as an individual stood with her mother, Waverly reached a point of no return and ran from her mother. When she eventually returned home, Waverly came to a realization that this was a battle that she could not win, and that no one would truly be