In “Rules of The Game,” a chapter from the well-known story “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan, the main character is a young girl named Waverly. Throughout the story, Waverly becomes better and better at chess, which also causes her mother to become increasingly proud of her. Eventually, Waverly gets upset at her mother since she felt like an object being shown off instead of being a person. In many ways, my life has similarities and differences with Waverly’s.
The major similarity between my life and Waverly’s is our culture and background. Both of our parents immigrated from China and still hold many Chinese beliefs and traditions. For example, since I was young, I have been taught Chinese and many aspects of Chinese culture. Waverly is also taught about Chinese sayings through chess, such as the phrase “The Double Attack from the East and West Shores.” This phrase and many others she was taught is influenced by common Chinese sayings. Waverly and I also have a similar background since we were both raised in the Bay Area, where there are many opportunities.
However, I feel that my parents have become more accepting of American culture and adapted more parts of American culture than Waverly’s mother. A part of Chinese culture is one’s pride in family, which Waverly’s mother shows excessively throughout the story. When I was young, I played piano for several years and became decent at it. Instead of always showing me off, my mom spared me from the embarrassment since she knew I would not like it. In contrast, Waverly’s mother showed her off to random people since she had always been taught to show pride in her family. Eventually, this led to major conflicts between Waverly and her mother.
Overall, in comparison, even though Waverly and I have similar backgrounds and cultures, there are also differences between our mothers’ willingness to adapt to their setting instead of clinging onto the past. This firm belief in Chinese traditions led to problems between Waverly and her mother, showing that sometimes it is for the better to familiarize oneself to the setting and culture within the country.