Rules of the GameSummary.docx

1、Rules of the Game SummaryRules of the Game SummaryOverview: This story by Amy Tam has many overlapping and intertwined themes. First of all, the story addresses a mother verus daughter conflict and struggle for control. Also, the story deals with conflict of the old Chinese world (represented by Mrs

2、. Jong) and that of the new American world (represented by Waverly). Finally, we have the typical immigrant theme in which the new immigrant, who often starts off in poverty, struggles to get ahead in the quest to achieve the American Dream. The game of chess is used as a metaphor for the rules and

3、skills that need to be obtained and mastered in order to succeed in life.The setting:San Franciscos Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and the largest Chinese community outside Asia. Since its establishment in the 1840s, it has been highly important and influential in the history and

4、 culture of ethnic Chinese immigrants in the United States and North America. Chinatown is an active enclave that continues to retain its own customs, languages, places of worship, social clubs, and identity. Popularly known as a city-within-a-city, it has developed its own government, traditions, o

5、ver 300 restaurants, and as many shops. There are two hospitals, numerous parks and squares, a post office, and other infrastructure. Visitors can easily become immersed in a microcosmic Asian world, filled with herbal shops, temples, pagoda roofs and dragon parades. In addition to it being a starti

6、ng point and home for thousands of Chinese immigrants, it is also a major tourist attraction drawing more visitors annually to the neighborhood than the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Main Characters: Waverly Jong- Meimei, (her Chinese name little sister) Lau- Po- the chess teacher, Waverlys mother- Lin

7、do.Minor characters: Waverlys brothers Vincent and Winston, Waverlys father.The time: The story takes place during Waverly Jong (Meimeis childhood) and adolescence. She is said to be born on March 17, 1951. In addition, in the story she says that she is eight years old. Therefore, when one looks at

8、the clues and sees that she is eight and that she was born in 1951, the time would be around 1958. In the late 1950s Chinese-Americans had a harsh life in America due to Chinese immigration laws. Kleg Summary of Rules of the Game:Part I.At the beginning of the story, Waverly and her mom enter a stor

9、e in which there are salted plums, a Chinese delicacy loved by Waverly. Waverly screams and her mother denies her the snack. Her mother urges her to use the art of invisible strength. The next time that Waverly enters the store, Waverly bites her tongue (doesnt complain) and is rewarded by her mothe

10、r who buys her the desired treat. From this point on, Waverly goes about mastering the art of invisible strength.While Waverlys mother does everything in her power to ensure the success of her children, the reader cannot escape the description of poverty put forth by the writer. The playground was w

11、ell-worn and the children played in the alley behind the restaurants. The mothers efforts to ensure that her children did not feel the economic situation is brought forward by the fact that her children are served three five-course meals each day.The mother made every effort at seeing to it that her

12、 children could succeed in America. This included giving them American names. However, the names that she gave them suggest that the mother had a problem with the “rules of the game” herself. For instance, the name Vincent (given to one of the brothers) suggests an Italian immigrant, not that of an

13、American. Winston, either suggests a cigarette brand or an Englishman, but not an American. As for Waverly, her name was taken from the street she lived on and is definitely not the name of a typical American girl.Waverly is in constant conflict between the old and new worlds. On one hand she makes

14、fun of a tourist who comes to China town by sending him to eat “disgusting food” at a restaurant that only had menus in Chinese. But then she plays the American and when she tries to get a rise out of her mom by asking about the term “Chinese Torture.” But her mom is not easily duped and uses the ar

15、t of invisible strength by remaining calm and stating that, “Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not like American people. We do torture. Best torture.”Part II.In part two we see the art of invisible strength again at work. At a church Christmas party, she watches how the other chi

16、ldren choose their gifts in order to understand which gifts are worthwhile to choose. She is quick to realize that size is not an important factor, and that the sound the gift makes when it is shaken is important.Waverly also exhibits an unrelenting suspicion of the establishment when she is unsure

17、how to answer how old she is. She does not know if to answer according to the American or Chinese calendar. She uses the art of invisible strength by deciding to state her birthday instead of her age. Her suspicious manner represents the attitude that many immigrants have towards the establishment o

18、f their host counties.Next she understands what she must say to Santa Clause in order to get her gift. He understands the RULE - she must say that she believes in Jesus Christ and that she has been an obedient daughter. She is also careful to answer in the serious manner that is expected of her. Yes

19、 indeed, this young girl has begun to understand and implement the rules need to survive in a foreign culture. At the Christmas party, Vincent received a chess set, Winston a model submarine and Waverly a package of lifesaver candies. While on the surface the lifesaver candies do not seem to be such

20、 a wonderful gift, it is the way Waverly uses them in manipulating her brothers into letting her place chess with them that makes them a worthwhile gift. Her manipulation is yet another example of Waverlys intelligence and use of the art of invisible strength. This tool was also used by the mother w

21、hen she thanked the churchgoers for the chess set, but then when she got home gave clear instructions to throw away the obviously used chess set with missing pieces. However, while the directive to trash the chess set were never carried out, Mrs. Jong never made an issue of the fact that her command

22、 was not carried out. This is perhaps because she never intended for the children to rid themselves of the chess set and her “command” was intended to cause her children to want to play chess, something that few school age children enjoy doing. This is another aspect of the art of invisible strength

23、 saying one thing and intending another just to manipulate a reaction of reverse psychology from an opponent.When told the rules of the game of chess, Waverly is chastised by her brothers for being so curious, while her mother states that just like the immigrants to a new country must learn the reas

24、ons for the rules in order to get ahead in the host country, if she really wants to understand chess, Waverly must embark on a journey to discover the reasons behind each piece, its powers and its abilities. Waverly takes the challenge and eventually her new-founded knowledge results in her defeatin

25、g her brothers in such a way in chess that they no longer wish to play with her.Eager to continue playing chess, Waverly takes to playing with the men in the park. Her mentor, Lau Po, teaches Waverly all he knows, and before long Waverly becomes quite an attraction in the park as she defeats opponen

26、t after opponent. Despite her obvious pride in Waverly, her mom keeps to traditional Chinese values as she publically attributes Waverlys success to luck.Part IIIIn part three, a man who saw Waverly play in the park suggested to Lindo that her daughter play in the local tournament. However, Waverly

27、who was certain that her mother would object to her playing with non-Chinese strangers, stated that she did not want to play in the competition despite really desiring to do so. In this case, Waverly was using reverse psychology against her mother and has seemingly defeated Lindo at her own game. Ho

28、wever, it could be argued that Lindo, who wanted her daughter to succeed, would have made the same decision despite her daughters use of the art of invisible strength.At the tournament, Lindo remained true to Chinese tradition and gave Waverly a traditional good luck charm made of red jade known as

29、a chang.Despite the win, Lindo is critical of the fact that her daughter sacrificed so many pieces to win. While Waverly is not pleased with her moms criticism, she backs down from a full-scale conflict with her mother. While her mother remains faithful to the concept of the “how” as being important

30、, Waverly adopts the New World standard of “victory” as the only value. At this point we see that despite the good relationship between mother and daughter, the first inklings of cultural conflict impacting this relationship become quite evident.In her community, Waverly has now become quite a celeb

31、rity and several businesses have decided to sponsor her. At home Waverly is rewarded for her success as her chores are dumped on her brothers so that she may concentrate on chess. Waverly has obtained national recognition as a prodigy and takes joy in humiliating her older opponents. While the youth

32、ful Waverly relies on her mental ability, her fellow competitors have decades of experience behind them; thus making Waverlys successes even more spectacular. And all this was before Waverly reached the age of nine-years-old.Her old playing grounds in the back alley behind the restaurants have becom

33、e foreign to Waverly as she goes straight home from school to hone her chess skills. This is yet another step towards Waverlys Americanization as she departs from the normal Chinatown childhood experiences.Part IV.At the beginning of part IV Waverly states that she had a difficult time concentrating at ho