Rules Of The Game By Amy Tan Summary

Through Waverly’s experiences in “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan, the reader learns that one should not let one’s success change and affect one’s values and actions. Once, when Waverly is playing a chess tournament, during every move, Waverly will “pause, suck in [her] lips, twirl [her] chosen piece in midair… with a triumphant smile thrown back at [her] opponent for good measure.” (154) Waverly is very bold and confident to “suck in [her] lips” and “twirl [her] chosen piece in midair”. She behaved very rudely despite Waverly’s earlier teachings about chess etiquette from Lau Po. Waverly thinks too highly of herself and believes that since she is a chess champion, the same rules as before do not necessarily apply to her. Soon after Waverly becomes an even more well-known chess player, her parents begin making “many concessions to allow [her] to practice.

Thereafter, [her] brothers slept in a bed in the living room.” (155) A “concession” is an exception, and Waverly takes all of her new power for granted. Waverly begins to value her chess success over her family’s welfare, and her selfish actions resulted in her brothers sleeping uncomfortably “in a bed in the living room”. In fact, Waverly is so absorbed in her success that even when she “knew it was a mistake to say anything more… [Waverly said] ‘Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, why don’t you learn to play chess?’” (155). Earlier in the story, Waverly is taught that one should respect the feelings of others above one’s own when “[the boy’s mother] lead him out of the church hall, apologizing… [that he] had such bad manners he couldn’t appreciate such a fine gift” (149). The woman apologizes for “her son who had such bad manners” because she values the benefactor’s feelings above those of her son and