In the story “Rules of the Game,” Waverly lives with her two brothers. After one of her brothers brings home a chess set, Waverly starts learning how to play.
Waverly gets better and better at playing chess, but whenever she wins, her mother says that it is just luck. This is different from some parents because normally a parent would want to encourage their child. It almost seems like Waverly’s mom doesn’t want to give Waverly credit. This would make sense because their relationship is not the best. Waverly’s mother tries to boss Waverly around and shows her off to everyone. When Waverly learned to play chess, she found that she had control over every single piece, including the king and the queen. At the end of the story, Waverly ends up standing up to her mother and referring to her as a chess piece.
Chess is a unique game. It requires more of thinking and planning rather than strength. It is what Waverly’s mother refers to as “sometimes the strongest wind is invincible.” Sometimes if you are quiet but plan ahead you can get farther in life than those who don’t.
The author uses a lot of symbolism in the story using the game chess. It represents those who have “invisible strength.”