The Joy Luck Club

A Chinese mother argues with her American-born daughter, who insists on riding her bicycle around the corner. The mother tells her that danger will befall her if she leaves the protection of her home, as chronicled in the book The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates. The daughter demands to see proof of this, but the mother replies that it is in Chinese. The daughter rides off and immediately falls down.

Waverly recounts how her mother taught her how to deal with the world strategically. Waverly learned how to get what she wanted by outwardly concealing her plans and desires. These lessons applied to winning games, as Waverly became a chess prodigy at age seven.

Waverly exhibits natural talent. She plays old Chinese men in the park, then moves on to tournaments. By age nine, Waverly is a national champion.

Lindo takes great pride in Waverly’s celebrity status. Waverly becomes resentful and finds it embarrassing that her mother parades her around town and brags about her. One day Waverly complains, making Lindo angry. Waverly runs off and when she returns home, her family refuses to speak to her.

Waverly goes to her room and imagines a chess board, envisioning her mother’s angry eyes as her opponent.