consider waverly “meimei” jong’s actions and their consequences in the short story “rules of the game” by amy tan. which theme i
s supported best by her actions? like chess, power is gained through strategy, not emotion. overt strength is more powerful than “invisible strength.” silence is a weapon that should never be wielded. it’s impossible for parents to win a battle of wills against their children.
The primary conflict in this passage is between Lindo and Meimei. Meimei is annoyed at Lindo for Lindo's critiques, which she finds illogical. This miscommunication is an external conflict. The secondary conflict is within Meimei herself. She's annoyed at her mom, but in the end, she knows that expressing that annoyance is not the way to win the argument. If Meimei is to master the power of "invisible strength" versus overt aggression, she has to figure out an angle that will work. Simply telling her mom to back off will not win her any points. For Lindo's part, she is motivated by a desire to see Meimei succeed. Although Meimei wins the games, Lindo knows that it's important that Meimei continue to improve. Since she doesn't know how to play chess, Lindo may not even be serious in her critique. Her main message is this: "Don't get complacent; keep improving!"
