Read the excerpt below from the short story “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan and answer the question that follows. Compare and contrast the narrator’s motivations with her mother’s.

Answer:

Waverly "Meimei" Jong wants to excel at "invisible strength" so she can get what she wants and be respected for it. In this scene, she practices wielding "invisible strength" in order to get her mom to do something that Lindo Jong does not like to do: allow Meimei to play chess with strangers. To do this, Meimei appeals to Lindo's main motivation to help her children be successful in life. Instead of aggressively or forcefully expressing why she wants to go, Meimei instead speaks her mother's language. Lindo wants her children to master "American rules" and have a chance to do the opposite of shaming the family—be successful. By doing this, she's able to point out to Lindo that allowing Meimei to compete will give her the opportunity to be successful.

NOT COPIED OR PASTED. ANSWER CAME STRAIGHT FROM THE BOOK