Waverly And Lindo Relationship Map

Conflict

Waverly and Lindo have had two very different experiences. Lindo escaping a horrible life away from her parents in China, and waverly growing up in San Francisco's chinatown. Although related as mother and daughter the completely different circumstances they've based their lives off of have separated them making the conflict between the two a cultural issue. The main points of their conflict are mental games that occur between the two of them, or at least Waverly thinks they are. One of these instances occurred when Waverly was still a young chess prodigy. Waverly had just embarrassed Lindo in public by saying that Lindo continuously bragged about her. Lindo was mad for a long time ignoring Waverly and not caring about her chess success at all. This made Waverly upset and worried eventually leading to a dream in which Lindo defeated her in a game of chess. At the end Waverly says “I closed my eyes and pondered my next move." (101) This really continues with the theme of a mental struggle going on between the pair. It shows this when Waverly closes her eyes letting us know that she is thinking in her head. This pondering of the next move is a perfect metaphor for the constant struggle between Lindo and Waverly that is carried with them all the way through Waverly’s adulthood.

Conflict

Symbol

The perfect symbol for the relationship between Lindo and Waverly is the wind. The wind has been present in some way in very important events for both of them. In the first case wind is present in arguably the most important part of Lindos life, her escape from China. The wind plays an influential role by blowing out the candle symbolising her marriage allowing her to escape. On the night of her marriage Lindo remarked : “it was the first time I could see the power of the wind”. (58) She then listed things the wind could do such as shape rivers and change rain patterns. Later after her wedding she used the power of the wind to her advantage blowing out her candle that signified her marriage. She really can feel the power of the wind in this moment as she is completely alone and must think for herself. As for Waverly the wind was important early in her chess years where she would constantly refer to the wind in terms of chess strategy. She would say things like : “come from south blow with wind, strongest wind cannot be seen”(89). The emphasis on wind and its importance is a recurring theme between the mother daughter pair in anything they do.

Symbol

Resolution

Resolution

The conflict between Waverly and Lindo is not resolved until very late in the story between the two. Waverly is in the middle of what she believes to be another mental game with her mother. She thinks that Lindo is trying to ruin her relationship with fiance, Rich. This ends up culminating with Waverly going over to Lindo’s and crying in front of her. When Waverly finally tells her mother she is going to marry Rich her mother's reaction shocks her. Lindo at first says : “Why are you here? Why are you crying? Something has happened"! (180) These three sentences mislead Waverly on the whole situation with her mother. Something about these words make Lindo seem like an innocent elderly mother, certainly not someone who would be fighting with their daughter over their fiance. These sentences change Waverly and catch her off guard. As Lindo then goes on to explain how she already knew Rich and Waverly were getting married and how she doesn't hate Rich Waverly began to relax a little more. This signified the turning point in the Conflict and Resolution between the two.

Bridge Building

The differences in circumstances between child and parent are different for each of us in some way. For me it was growing up in a completely different location with technology. My mother grew up in Portland, OR while I grew up in Danville, VA. In the book Waverly grows up in San Francisco and Lindo grows up in China during wartime. While my different circumstances aren't comparable to those of Lindo and Waverly they are still very different with the addition of technology being a difference between my mother and I. My relationship with my mother has been shaped by this and she and I have mental games similar to Waverly and Lindo often. Waverly once said, “I was six when my mother taught me the art of invisible strength”. (89) The sentence makes me think of my mother when I was a child. She was teaching me manners, respect, good posture and other things as well. All of this can be put under the category of subliminal or invisible strength. Just as Lindo was teaching Waverly to be a good Chinese girl (or trying to) my mother was teaching me how to be an American boy. This is important as it shows a direct correlation between our two relationships between parents and children.