She is in control, she has direction, but only while she and her mother are allies. When Waverly starts to see her mother as the enemy, Waverly slowly loses her self-confidence, and begins to lose chess games as well. This is shows when Waverly says, “I could no longer see the secret weapons of each piece, the magic within the intersection of each square; I could only see my mistakes, my weaknesses” (172). By adulthood, she is a slave to her mother’s criticism, when in reality; it is Waverly’s lack of self-confidence that caused her to lose direction. Likewise, when one lacks a sense of direction, one is unable to pursue one’s wishes.
This comes out in her chess games, in her relationship with Jing-mei, and you also get the sense that getting her job at Price Waterhouse required a competitive nature. From her relationship with Rich, it shows that she likes being the leader of a situation. Unlike Lena and Rose who tend to be submissive to their husbands, Waverly describes Rich as "a Dalmatian, panting, loyal, waiting to be petted." Like her mother, Lindo, Waverly is fiercely independent, stubborn, and capable of being very tricky. In the Episode of the Crabs, it’s clear that Waverly, like her mother, demands the very best.
At a young age, Waverly was inspired by his brothers to play chess. Her mother knew that Waverly was going to be a great chess player so that Waverly can hide her emotions in the game, but also in life. With the invisible strength on Waverly’s side, she was able to win a lot of medals and trophies’ from the chess tournament, earning her the title of “Chess Champion”, thus showing that Waverly obtain knowledge about the invisible strength. When rumours spread around the town that Waverly is now the chess champion, Lindo drags her daughter around town to every person she meets, even strangers to brag about how wonderful and smart her daughter is, winning trophies for her to clean, organize etc. One particular individual that Lindo brags about her daughter to is Suyuan and her daughter Jing Mei Woo whom Waverly competes with.
She then starts testing her daughter in a lot of weird ways. This is when the daughter starts having difficulties with her mother’s ways. She cries every night and tells herself that she won’t let her mom change her. Her mother then forces her to take piano lessons from an old, deaf, retired piano teacher who lives in their apartment building. After a few weeks the mother and the old, deaf, retired piano teacher, Old Chong arrange for the daughter to go to a talent show in a church hall.
Many mothers want their daughters to strive to do the best they can under any circumstance. This was especially evident in “Two Kinds” where the mother expects all to succeed in America, especially her daughter. The maternal figures in the story are competitive with each other and the narrator’s own mother wants her daughter to be a star. More specifically, she wants her daughter to be better than her friend’s daughter, a girl characterized as being an amazing chess player. Not only does she want her to be a better chess player, but the narrator’s mother believes that her daughter could be a music prodigy and become famous.
Comment on the fact that Weaver loses to Lellie at chess, a game that he taught her and now tires of. What skills/ abilities are crucial
For someone raised under the western parenting style this is something completely absurd, since this is not letting the kid have a “normal childhood”. The kid does not have the opportunity to do what he finds interesting and he does not enjoy his childhood to the fullest. If we define a good mother as someone who wants their child to be happy, Amy would be considered a horrible mother. Ever since Amy and Sophia were young they were forced by their mother to play an instrument. Most kids, rather play a sport or go outside and hang out with their friends but in this case they were had to practice the piano/violin so they could become the best of the best.
The difference is a cultural divide between a mother born and raised in China and her American born daughter. Ni Kan’s mother wants her to be a prodigy in something, and she is not particular about what it is. She believes that you can control your destiny and become whatever you set your mind too. Believing this and wanting only the best for her daughter, Ni Kan’s mother pushes her to try everything from acting to playing the piano. She pressures her daughter to “try” it even though her daughter pushes away from it.
The “Judges” Are Watching: Stifling the Woman For as far back as history there has women have always struggled to rise above the expectations that they can only be wives and mothers. Society conditions women from a young age; teaching that girls play with dolls and boys play with trucks, that “ladies” do not lift up their dresses in public and that Daddies go to work while Mommies take care of the children. Regardless of how progressive or feminist a family is, a woman will still encounter stereotypical gender roles and biases in society. Although laws restricting women from leading lives equal to men have been changed there are still social boundaries that many women could -but choose not to-cross. Today women can take a stand for equality, but no one has figured out the best way to take action.
She does not feel comfortable taking on the old fashioned lifestyle her mother and sister do. Dee is a more contemporary version of society striving to leave their home and become successful. Dee inadvertently talked down to her mother and sister, reading to them on several occasion as if they were ignorant (121). Dee appeared to be very intimidating