To manipulate someone is to influence or control them shrewdly or deviously, in a way that benefits the manipulator. In an excerpt from The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan called "Fireflies", the narrator is easily manipulated by a fellow student named Simon. The excerpt begins with Simon letting the narrator know that he has these feelings for her, as does she for him. Simon, with his sneaky manly ways, decides the easiest way to get the narrator to go to bed with him was to tell her his sad story that dealt with the death of his ex girlfriend. This story has a big impact; it is what manipulates the narrator into doing the things she does throughout the rest of the excerpt.
The first side effect of Simon's manipulation was that he slept with the narrator. Although the narrator had feelings for Simon before the story he told, she did not enjoy the intimacy. Simon, on the other hand loved it and he even wanted to go at it again. This is one of the signs that Simon perhaps didn't really care much about what he was saying and just said it to manipulate the narrator into doing something that benefits him and gives him pleasure. After this act of passion, Simon and the narrator became somewhat of a couple.
Another side effect of Simon's manipulation is that now the narrator was trying everything she could to live up to what his ex girlfriend, Elsa, was like. When they went out together they would go camping where Simon and Elsa used to go. They only did things that Simon and Elsa used to do. Once again this proves that Simon never really cared for the narrator and was basically using her as a representation of his ex girlfriend. Simon not once ever did anything for the narrator, she however tried to please him in every way. Simon won again, he had a girl who was trying to be everything for him, and if he didn't want to pay attention to her for some reason, he had an excuse, he was thinking of Elsa.
