The Orphan In Amy Tan's Rules Of The Game

In “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan, the mythological lens can be applied to show how Waverly Jong fits the archetypal “orphan”: although she is not physically an orphan, her story follows a similar path to the archetype in that she is driven by an eagerness to please others and the motivation to be accepted. Throughout the story, Waverly follows the “rules” that her mother has laid out for her home, and for most of the story, this is the main ambition of the character. For instance, Tan opens the short story with a comment that “my mother taught me the art of invisible strength. It was a strategy for winning arguments, respect from others, and eventually, though neither of us knew at the time, chess games” (Tan 734). Waverly begins this story by showing the importance of following the standards that her mother has laid out for her. The fact that she notes that invisible strength is good for gaining respect shows that respect and approval is something that she values and desires greatly. As the archetypal orphan lacks a person who gives this approval, the orphan, like Waverly, acts largely for the acquisition of acceptance and respect, and it appears that Waverly fits this archetype by trying to follow her mother’s wishes and teachings.

Although she still follows her mother’s wishes and is subject to her authority in the house, she becomes tired of her mother’s using her for her own benefit and pressuring her to get better at chess. She pushes back at her mother when she says, “‘Why do you have to show me off? If you want to show off, then why don’t you learn to play chess’” (741). This retort is the main instance in which Waverly breaks the archetype of the orphan. No longer is Waverly doing everything for approval according to her mother’s rules; she is now trying to follow her own desires, which clash with the success-driven hopes of her