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Rules of the Game

by Amy Tan

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What are some cause and effect examples in "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan?

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Waverly's development as a chess player and her relationship with her mother are compared in "Rules of the Game." To the extent the essay is about cause and effect, the central problem becomes what happens when this rule is obeyed (or broken). All this is not to say that there are not other causes and effects in Tan's story. Her story has many themes—cultural identity, parental love, sibling rivalry, and so on—but they all occur in a short story that focuses largely on characterization. In essence, Waverly's problems stem from being a pawn in the game between her mother and father.

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Tan's short story makes an explicit comparison between Waverly's development as a chess player and her relationship with her mother. Chess, like her relationship with her mother, is a "game of secrets in which one must show and never tell." To the extent the essay is about cause and effect, the central problem becomes what happens when this rule is obeyed (or broken).

While Waverly is aware of the effect of her growing ability at chess—she becomes known in her community, businesses sponsor her for chess tournaments, her trophies are proudly displayed in the window of the bakery downstairs—she is equally unaware of how her success has affected her mother. In that sense, the unexpected effect caused by her success is her mother's pride and sense of accomplishment at having such a daughter.

The end of the essay, in which Waverly reacts negatively to her mother's bragging about her at...

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the market, hits her like an unexpected chess move. She has been blind all along to her mother's feelings, a blindness caused in no small way by her own self-absorption and fascination with her own talent. Her retort to her mother, in which she says, essentially, "why don't you learn chess yourself?" is evidence of how badly she has miscalculated. To her mother, the real talent isn't chess but raising such a daughter.

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In "Rules of the Game," or in most any story, we can isolate some examples of causes and effects by looking at the chain of events in the story and thinking about which events necessarily led to others.

In other words, as you consider each event in the story, you can find examples of causes and effects by asking yourself

  • "What happened before this that caused it?" or
  • "Because this happened, what had to happen after that?"

Sometimes you can even list out all the major events in a story and see them as one long, continuous string of causes and effects. That is, one thing causes an effect, which in turn is the cause for another effect, and so on. You can definitely do this with "Rules of the Game," which follows a simple linear storyline with events that build up in tension and excitement until the end.

Let's have a look at some examples:

1. Cause: Waverly wants her mom to buy her some salted plums, but Waverly’s mom wants her daughter to display restraint (“invisible strength.”) Effect: The next time Waverly and her mom walk by the store with the salted plums, Waverly is silent. Her mom rewards her for by buying some of the plums.

2. Cause: Waverly plays chess against skilled adults in the park. Effect: She learns patience, skills and strategies, and good sportsmanship (like not throwing your pieces on the ground when you lose).

3. Cause: Through her victories at chess tournaments, Waverly gains fame as a young champion. Effect: Waverly's mother is so proud of her that she makes the young brothers take over the chores that Waverly used to do herself, allowing more time for Waverly to study and practice for more chess tournaments.

4. Cause: Waverly's mother proudly introduces her daughter to strangers in the marketplace, showing her off and making her feel embarrassed. Effect: Waverly tears her hand loose from her mother's and runs off into the alley alone.

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