“as white as Mary in the manger” ("Fish Cheeks")
This simile appears in Amy Tan’s “Fish Cheeks”, and it underscores Robert’s skin color. The simile depicts Amy Tan’s perception of race at the age of fourteen. According to the simile, Amy Tan holds that race is a biological feature that is displayed through the skin color. Amy hankers for the whiteness that is epitomized in this simile.
“Old Li’s magic herbs that cured ancestral curses” (“Rules of the Game”)
Waverly Jong compares the power of the chessmen to “Old Li’s magic herbs that cured ancestral curses.”The metaphor of the magic herbs emphasizes the convolution of chess since not all people can disentangle the intricacies of chess. The metaphor appeals to both the Chinese and American cultures as chess is an American game whereas the magic herbs are Chinese creations. Accordingly, the metaphor portrays the convergence between American and Chinese aspects that are instrumental for Waverly Jong, a Chinese American girl, to get to the top of a game that is fundamentally American.
“dangerous black slits” (“Rules of the Game”)
Waverly Jong equates her mother’s eyes to “dangerous black slits” during a confrontation whereby Waverly tells her mother that it is disconcerting for her mother to show Waverly Jong off to people now that Waverly is a chess victor. The ‘black slits’ denote her mother’s wrath which stems from the construal that Waverly Jong is abashed to be her daughter.
