eases in [their] belly buttons, how shapely [their] earlobes were, how fast [they] healed when [they] scraped [their] legs, how thick and dark [their] hair" (Tan 27). As the children grow, they follow their mothers' examples and begin to compete on their own, especially Waverly. Once Waverly becomes famous from her chess playing, she begins to rub her success in June's face. Waverly was never afraid to make June feel bad about herself, stating after a bad piano recital, "You aren't a genius like me" (Tan 151). June resents all that Waverly does to her, to make her lose confidence in herself. Even Waverly's compliments are sneak attacks on June. The simplest statement could turn ugly in a second. For example, Waverly compliments her haircut at New Year's, yet when she discovers that June still sees David, the gay man, she states, "He could have AIDS... you can't be too safe these days..." (Tan 229). June writhes with anger, and finally, after many years of torment, she sees her opportunity to prove Waverly wrong, to show her that she also makes mistakes. June states, "Maybe I could afford Mr. Rory's prices if someone's firm paid me on time" (Tan 230). However, this also backfires on June. Waverly is initially surprised and hurt, then she simply tells June that her copy writing was not what their firm was looking for. June is crushed again. She will never triumph over the genius which is Waverly. June finally realizes that she will never be as smart or as strong as Waverly. June knows that "[she is] good at what [she] did, succeeding at something small like that" (Tan 233). She finally accepts herself as she is, ending her competition with Waverly once and for all. The conflicts within this book deal with internal and external conflicts for each character, but three of the most visible conflicts are between Lindo and Waverly, between Suyuan and Lindo, and between June and Waverly. Each of the conflicts are resolved ...
