Even though they live under sparse circumstances, she is very proud of her family and her Chinese roots. .
The author's effectiveness in painting the portrait of Meimei's mother is striking. We do not have the slightest idea what she looks like, her age or how she dresses. Thus it is almost impossible for the reader to visualize her while reading the story. .
At the beginning this is a bit frustrating, especially as the setting in the Chinatown section of San Francisco is so fully described. After having read the whole story, you realize that her physical appearance is of no importance to the plot. A description of her looks and the way she dresses might in fact have disturbed the picture of her that the author wants us to get.
When it comes to Meimei's career as a chess player, her mother gives her all the support she can think of and makes many concessions to allow Meimei to practice at home. To her mother Meimei's success as a chess player is a success for the whole family and the whole Chinese community and a proof of the superiority of the Chinese people.
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Her mother's feeling about superiority is first revealed when Meimei asks her what Chinese torture is. Her mother then answers: "'Chinese people do many things, she said simply. Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like American people. We do torture. Best torture'- (377).
As Meimei's success grows, she is getting famous in the Chinese community, which is as proud of her as her mother. The pride of the Chinese community supports her mother's idea that Meimei is not merely playing chess for her own interest or for the fun of it but for her family and for her people.
In the end of the story when Meimei asks, "Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why don't you learn to play chess- (382), her mother's reaction is violent. To support the violence in her reaction the author describes the mother's eyes as dangerous black slits.