Rules of the Game (Essay Sample)

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Rules of the Game.
The environment in which a person lives affects him in many ways, for instance, the way he thinks, the manner in which he interacts with others and how he makes decisions that may change the direction of his life. The people surrounding an individual, the social nature of the household as well as the culture of community around him influence what the person becomes.
In Amy Tan’s short story, Rules of the Game, the protagonist uses the lessons she learnt from her mother and the Chinese upbringing the mother uses to raise her, to find her own self and achieve independence. Waverley Place Jong’s mother is a traditional Chinese woman who believes that the Chinese way of rising children is the best. Her intentions are good since she does not spoil the children. The family is not rich but they eat three five-course meals a day. She is proud of her heritage so that even when Waverly, Meimei to the family, asks her if it is true that the Chinese do tortures, the mother replies that “we do torture, best torture” (Tan, 54). She also knows that being in America, she has to follow the American rules, even if they seem stupid to her.
Waverly’s mother pushes her to excel. She also believes in feigning humility, a rearing that the protagonist grew up with, and leading to all her being driven towards pride, excellence, not questioning American rules, and feigns humility. However, this style of upbringing would stifle her and bring about a conflict with her mother. When Meimei started being good in playing chees and wanted to participate in tournaments, her mother was hesitant about the idea. However when she starts winning and becomes a celebrity in the neighborhood, she feels that Meimei’s achievements are hers as well. She also feels that it is because of her that Meimei accomplished what she had. In spite of her ignorance and lack of knowledge behind the logic of the game, she would tell her daughter to lose less chess pieces. It also annoyed Meimei that her mother announces her to the shops in the market (Tan, 167).
Meimei does not understand that in Chinese culture, all members of a family are unified with the fact that they are a family i.e. the child extension of his or her mother’s pride. Therefore, when Meimei expresses her feelings towards her mother’s exploitation, her mother interprets that as her daughter’s embarrassment of her. This is why when she returns after running away from her mother, Mrs. Jong declares, “we not concerning this girl. This girl is not concerning for us.” (Tan, 78). Growing up in America, in spite of the struggles they undergo, the protagonist feels like the Chinese influenced the surroundings. Meimei believed that most American children need to grow up and become independent from their families. Meimei uses her mother’s own advice to break free from her mother’s control. The best lesson she learns from her mother is what she calls the art of invisible strength. According to the old Chinese saying, the wise man “not go against the wind… strongest wind cannot be seen.” (Tan, 106)