202 Checkmates Essay

Life is like the game of chess. It does not guarantee anyone to always win or lose and It has rules to live by just like the game of chess. The author of the story of “202 Checkmates” written by Rion Amilcar Scott, talks about a father who teaches his daughter life lessons by explaining to her the rules of the chess game. Robert is a father who is unsure of his role in the society and family. He also forgets his responsibilities by making the chase game his priority. Robert does not take time to solve his family issues with his wife instead he ignores his wife every time she tries to consult him about their family difficulties. The story explores the themes of escape, loss of innocence, and hidden identities to explain the roles of the characters
Robert avoids the responsibilities a father has. He does not think about his family’s needs nor does he work to fulfill them. He uses the savings that his wife worked hard on to run his errands. For example, Robert exploits the family’s savings to buy his daughter a chessboard as a birthday gift. Robert’s wife states, “God, Robert, you apply for two jobs and then give up; got the nerve to spend the money I make on expensive gifts”( Scott 76). Robert’s hidden identity is like that of Rashid from the story of “Good Times” by Rion Amilcar Scott. Rashid is a father and an attempted victim of murder who sees himself as a failure at everything he does. He decides to surprise his son by wearing a nasty cookies monster costume on his son’s birthday. The costume costs all his son’s college savings. The day of his son’s birthday, the kids run away at the sight off Rashid due to the smell of the ratty costume and Rashid stays disappointed at himself. The costume symbolizes how Rashid views the world. He wears it to hide his true identity and only takes the costume off when he is with Walter, his confidante(scott 16-17). Both examples show how Rashid and Robert avoid taking full responsibility as the head of their