Which of the following is true regarding Waverly "Meimei" Jong's struggle to master "invisible strength" in the short story "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan?

A. The struggle includes both internal and external conflicts.

B. The struggle involves only external conflicts.

C. The struggle involves only internal conflicts.

D. The struggle overcomes "Meimei" Jong.

A. The struggle includes both internal and external conflicts.

Explanation:

A conflict is a struggle between two opposing forces. In literature, there are some common types of conflict, such as character vs self, character vs society, or character vs nature. The conflicts can also be external or internal. External conflicts happen between the character and an outside force - another person, society, nature, financial difficulties etc. An internal conflict takes place in the character's mind, usually because of the character's self - difficulty to change one's mind, difficulty to adapt to a new situation, stress, fear, anger etc.

In Amy Tan's short story "Rules of the Game", Waverly "Meimei" Jong is a child who faces both types of conflict, internal and external. Her external conflict is clearly caused by her mother, whose approach when teaching Meimei is strict and traditional. Lindo Jong, the mother, wants her daughter to be successful in life and, with that purpose, wants her to learn true strength. To Lindo's mind, strength comes with silence and the ability to mold oneself to different situations. Because of her eagerness, Lindo is constantly frustrating and irritating Meimei.

Meimei's internal conflict is also very much related to her mother, sort of an extension of her external conflict. Meimei has a hard time accepting and learning her mother's ways. Meimei has a different approach to life, she represents a different generation. She is constantly struggling to keep her mouth shut and to remain patient since she is always annoyed and frustrated with her mother's imposition.