Meimei, otherwise known as Waverly, tricks
her mother into letting her play in a chess tournament by appealing to her mother’s sense of family honor as well as to her sense of competition
.
How does Waverly show that she understands the use of strategy even before she starts playing chess?
Waverly’s
mother rewarded her daughter for holding her tongue by purchasing the bag of salted plums for Waverly
. Waverly goes on to perfect the art of invisible strength by baiting her opponents into make costly mistakes during chess matches.
How has Waverly relationship with her mother?
Waverly (Meimei) has
a love/hate type of relationship with her mother
, although “love/hate” might be too strong. She loves and admires her mother but is increasingly frustrated with how her mother attempts to control her life and show her off.
What does Waverly learn from her mother?
Waverly Jong, the narrator of this section, explains that she was six years old when her mother taught her
“the art of invisible strength
,” a strategy for winning arguments and gaining respect from others in games.
What is the conflict between Waverly and her mother?
An example of an external conflict in this story is the conflict between Waverly and her mother.
Waverly struggles against her mother’s expectations for her
. She wants to play chess because she enjoys it, and is good at it, but her mother always wants her to do better.
What kind of daughter is Waverly use details from the story to support your answer?
From this perspective, Waverly is a daughter who is like her mother. In the beginning of the story, we see that Waverly’s mother is trying to teach her the art of invisible strength, which is defined as a way to win arguments and respect from others. As the story progresses, Waverly uses this idea in
the game of chess
.
What rules of life does Waverly learn in the story?
Expert Answers
In this story, Waverly’s mother
teaches her the art of “invisible strength
.” What that means is that sometimes you can accomplish more by quietly working toward a goal. Waverly learns to do this with chess. She learns not to brag or frets about her losses.
Why did Waverly quit chess?
To retaliate against her mother for bragging about Waverly’s outstanding chess playing
, Waverly decided to quit the game.
What problems do Waverly and her mother have when they try to communicate?
The conflict between Waverly and her mother pushes her to improve, but it also makes
her resent chess
. Because of this, she loses something she enjoys. The fight with her mother causes her to give up chess. Internal conflicts in the story usually involve Waverly’s reaction to her mother’s overbearing nature.
Why does Waverly say she and her mother are two faced?
Lindo believes that
Waverly does so because she is ashamed of her mother
. While Mr. Rory and Waverly discuss her as though she were not there, Lindo wears her “American face”—the face the Americans think is Chinese. But inside she is ashamed, because she is proud of Waverly, but Waverly is not proud of her.
What did Waverly’s family call her?
But her family usually calls her
Meimei
, which means “Little Sister.” So right away, it’s interesting to see how Waverly’s identity is tied to the setting (with the name “Waverly Place,”) and how it’s also tied to her relative position within her family.
What does the strongest wind Cannot be seen?
The phrase “the strongest wind cannot be seen” in “Rules of the Game” means
that the strongest force is sometimes invisible, but its influence is unmistakable
.
Why did Lindo brag about her daughter Waverly?
Waverly feels annoyed and embarrassed by Lindo’s bragging about Waverly’s success for two reasons. … As Lindo feels her own and Waverly’s identities are tightly linked, she
expects to be admired for Waverly’s talent
. Waverly, however, wants full and sole credit for her accomplishments in the American way.
Why does Waverly get angry with her mother?
Expert Answers
The most direct reason of why Waverly ran away was
because she was embarrassed and annoyed at her mother
. Waverly did not like her mother boasting about her and her chess prowess. She wanted to be her own person.
Who is Waverly’s final opponent?
In “Rules of the Game,” Waverly’s final opponent is
her mother
.
What are the two kinds of daughters?
The title “Two Kinds” is referred to by Jing-Mei’s mother when she states that there are only two kinds of daughters: “
Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!
” She gives an example of the kind of daughter that she wants Jing-Mei to be, versus the kind that Jing-Mei is being.
