Mother-daughter relationships in first and second generation immigrants are an interesting topic to research. Mothers have different reasons why they immigrated and some mothers want to hold on to their traditions, customs and way of life as much as possible keeping their same way of life, just living in another country. Immigration has an effect on the children as the story will show. In the story “Rules of the game” we see that daughters and mothers are not living up to expectations of the other and this then affects their relationship. The thesis in this study is that immigration has an impact on mother-daughter relationships.
Amy Tan is the author and is the narrator. Amy Tan ( 1952) is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships and the Chinese American experience. Tan was born in California. She is the second of three children born to Chinese immigrants John and Daisy Tan.
The theme of mother-daughter relationships is a subject that relates to her story. . Tan had a difficult relationship with her mother. Her mother at one point told her, “"We not concerning this girl. This girl not have concerning for us." (57) In the story of “The rules of the game” Amy Tan is the Chinese daughter who wants to integrate in to the American society and her mother is trying to keep her old Chinese traditions and pass them on to her daughter. The narrator is the child that tells the story of their childhood experiences.
