How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
The best playground, however, was the dark alley itself. It was crammed with daily mysteries and adventures. (5)
Waverly doesn't let poverty get in the way of having fun. The neighborhood becomes a wonderland, and the stores around her apartment fire her imagination. Does she realize at this point how free she really is? More importantly, why isn't she as bothered by her mother's overbearing qualities at this point?
Quote #2
The front window displayed a tank crowded with doomed fish and turtles struggling to gain footing on the slimy green-tiled sides. (6)
Tan may be foreshadowing something here… Not sure what we're talking about? Hop on over to the "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory" section.
Quote #3
Each morning before school, my mother would twist and yank on my thick black hair until she had formed two tightly wound pigtails. (9)
Waverly clearly hates the way her mother binds her hair, and Tan describes it in such a way that we can actually feel the tightness closing in around us. More importantly, though, this hair ritual suggests that Waverly didn't enjoy much freedom to begin with—her mother's been wrangling her into submission since before Waverly even knew what chess was. How does this color the later sections when Waverly's a chess wiz and she can feel her confinement more readily?
Quote #4
Soon I no longer lost any games or Life Savers, but I lost my adversaries. Winston and Vincent decided they were more interested in roaming the streets after school in their Hopalong Cassidy cowboy hats. (28)
Sometimes when you win, you really lose. Winston and Vincent get to go shoot up imaginary outlaws on the streets of Chinatown, while Waverly gets to sit in her room and plot the queen's gambit. The story makes this point very quietly: Waverly initially loves chess, but it soon starts to entrap her. This is the official opening shot for that idea.
Quote #5
I desperately wanted to go, but I bit back my tongue. (35)
Tan likes making comparisons between the game of chess and Waverly's relationship with her mother, and we see a little of this here—"the art of invisible strength" mentioned in the first sentence of the story involves biting your tongue, which is exactly what Waverly does here. She hits mom with reverse psychology and eventually gets what she wants. Game on.
Quote #6
I no longer played in the alley of Waverly Place. I never visited the playground where the pigeons and old men gathered. I went to school, then directly home to learn new chess secrets, cleverly concealed advantages, more escape routes. (51)
Waverly's imprisonment has become pretty overt here. She can't play or do any of the things she used to; all she gets to do is play chess. What's interesting is how matter-of-fact she is when explaining it. There's not a lot of self-pity or whining, just a clear statement of what her life is like. This could be because she's taking some responsibility for the changes instead of just blaming her mom, but it could also be because the cage closes so gradually around her that she can't even feel it happening.
Quote #7
My mother had a habit of standing over me while I plotted out my games. I think she thought of herself as my protective ally. (52)
Mom probably isn't familiar with the whole concept of personal space—but in her defense, this isn't necessarily a malicious thing, as suggested here. The confinement and entrapment of Waverly is supposed to be good for her, and her mother's smothering overprotectiveness is an effort to help her.
Quote #8
I ran until it hurt and I realized I had nowhere to go, that I was not running from anything. The alleys contained no escape routes. (62)
Waverly realizes she's trapped, but the wording here is really interesting. She uses "escape routes," which she also points out is an important part of chess strategy. Like her chess games, she's playing a match here… and when she runs out of options, she's trapped just like one of her pieces.
Quote #9
On a platter were the remains of a large fish, its fleshy head still connected to bones swimming upstream in vain escape. (65)
Boy, it does not go well for the seafood in this story. Also, Tan appears to be drawing a parallel between the fish and her heroine. For more on this, be sure to swing by the "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory" section.
Quote #10
I felt myself growing light. I rose up into the air and flew out the window. Higher and higher, above the alley, over the tops of tiled roofs, where I was gathered up by the wind and pushed up toward the night sky until everything below me disappeared and I was alone. (69)
The story ends with Waverly fantasizing about escape. What's interesting is the way she ends the story with the word "alone." Is being alone the same as being free to Waverly? Or is it maybe a mixed bag—free of her mother's micromanaging, but also free of the support and even love that comes with it? We're thinking it's the second option, but feel free to disagree. We love a good argument.