verly to grow up with values, with goals that everyone and everything must meet. As Waverly shows Lindo the jacket, Lindo inspects it, finally reporting, "This is not so good" (Tan 186). Waverly protests, "He gave me this from his heart" (Tan 186), to which Lindo replies, "That is why I worry" (Tan 186). Lindo simply wants Waverly to strive for the best. Lindo believes that her daughter deserves the best, and nothing should influence her for the worse. The conflict between mother and daughter is finally resolved after Waverly confronts her mother about the verbal abuse she has endured. Waverly realizes that her mother is only "an old woman... getting a little crabby as she waited patiently for her daughter to invite her in" (Tan 204). Waverly finally tells her mother about her life, especially about Rich, and they begin to get along better. Both must sacrifice a little pride to make the relationship work, but as they both do so, they grow closer and their relationship becomes stronger as a result. The second prominent conflict visible within this novel is between Lindo and Suyuan. These two women are supposedly best friends, yet their constant bickering and competition, which their children deem as "normal", seems to negate this fact. June, Suyuan's daughter, seems to know the truth: "Auntie Lin and my mother were both best friends and arch enemies who spent a lifetime comparing their children" (Tan 27). Waverly also agrees with June's observation of their mothers' friendship, simply stated as such: "They were very close, which meant they were ceaselessly tormenting each other with boasts and secrets" (Tan 194). Lindo and Suyuan spent most of their time comparing their cooking and their children, both believing that they were superior to the other. Suyuan and Lindo both believe that their own cooking skills greatly exceed the other's. Lindo seems to be the best cook of the two of them, considering that sh...
