How does Amy Tan use imagery in Rules of the Game?

For many of Tan's readers, Chinese culture is unfamiliar, so the vivid descriptions of everyday life in San Francisco's Chinatown help to educate readers at the same time as it entertains. In the medicinal herb store, Waverly and her brothers watch "old Li dole out onto a stiff sheet of white paper the right amount of insect shells, saffron colored seeds, and pungent leaves for his ailing customers." This description evokes some strong images in the reader's mind, while giving some background information on the traditional Chinese belief in holistic healing. The same is true with the description of Ping Yuen Fish Market, where "the butchers with their bloodstained white smocks deftly gutted the fish while customers cried out their orders," and where Waverly and her brothers "inspect the crates of live frogs and crabs which we were warned not to poke, boxes of dried cuttlefish, and row upon row of iced prawns, squid, and slippery fish." These candid descriptions highlight the fact that seafood is one of the staples of the Chinese diet. They also show how, in Chinese culture, food is prepared fresh for customers, with no attempt to hide the sometimes messy method of preparation. This is a stark contrast to the sterile environments found in most American butcher shops or fish markets, where much of the preparation is done out of the customer's sight.