James Joyce’s “Araby” and Amy Tan’s “Rules of the Game” follow two children in important phases of adolescence. “Araby” is a story involving a young boy and his boyhood crush. The plot follows him as he obsesses about a girl, sets out on a quest for her, and ultimately fails his quest in a depressing manner. “Rules of the Game” follows a girl named Waverly, as she progresses from a little girl to a chess champ, able to manipulate her surroundings. Her story too ends in depressing manner as she tries to escape her surroundings after they collapse on top of her. Whereas the settings for each narrative is very different, both accomplish an important task. Providing the reader with an understanding of home life, childhood adventures, and cultural background, the…show more content… Full of life and movement, Chinatown served as a giant playground for Waverly. Tan’s description of Chinatown through Waverly gives an almost crystal clear image of who Waverly is as a person. This image is painted through Waverly’s adventures such as the one in the fish market where, “On less crowded days, we would inspect the crates of live frogs and crabs which we were warned not to poke.” Through images of Waverly’s surroundings and her interactions with them, we see that she is a very intellectual child, smarter than most others her age. Even at a young age she has been able to learn how to slyly poke fun at her mother and tourists. Setting also plays a larger role within the story. In the beginning we learn she lives in a small room, which she shares with her brothers, in a small apartment just above a street shop. However, at the end of the story she has worked her way to the top, living in a room all by herself, nearly on the top floor. This setting difference not only shows her ability to manipulate her surrounds but her progress as well. It may be cliché, but setting shows that she has worked her way from the bottom to the top on her