Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Crazy Rich Asians, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Wealth and Absurdity
Marriage and Money
Family vs. Individuality
Chinese vs. Western Culture
Summary
Analysis
Rachel is shocked and feels guilty when at the JFK airport, Nick reveals that they’re flying first class to Singapore (he used frequent flyer miles, but what a sacrifice). A flight attendant leads them to a lavishly appointed private suite that can transition from a lounge room to a bedroom. Drinks in hand, Rachel and Nick joke that after flying in this kind of luxury, nothing else about the trip will be able to compare.
Readers know that Nick is wealthy, so spending the frequent flyer miles on first-class tickets likely wasn’t a “sacrifice” at all. Still, it’s concerning that he lets Rachel think it was—it suggests, once again, that Rachel is in for a shock when she arrives in Singapore and learns how wealthy Nick is.
Themes
The narrator steps back to the fall of 2008, when Rachel’s colleague, Sylvia Wong-Swartz, bursts into the faculty lounge and announces that she just met Rachel’s future husband, Nicholas Young. Rachel doesn’t take Sylvia seriously, especially when Sylvia says this guy is Asian—Rachel hasn’t had good luck dating Asian men. Still, she allows Sylvia to drag her along to a bar to meet Nick that night. Unfortunately, Nick seems way more interested in Sylvia, who’s married. But as Nick and Sylvia chat, Rachel muses that Nick doesn’t behave like other Asian guys: he isn’t assessing her body or her family, and he’s not trying to show off. In fact, he’s charming. So charming that when Sylvia heads home to her husband, Rachel and Nick stay for more drinks. He’s the first man Rachel could ever imagine marrying.
It’s worth noting that, while Eddie and Nick are cousins and are implied to be part of the same ultrawealthy circle in Asia, they behave totally differently. While Eddie’s entire reason for living seems to be showing off his wealth, Nick hides how well-off his family is. And Nick is charming and generous, while Eddie is selfish and grating. This makes it clear that the ultrawealthy Asian people Rachel is about to encounter don’t all share the same goals and prejudices; while some will no doubt be more like Eddie and will therefore scorn Rachel, there are bound to be some who, like Nick, generously accept her.
Themes
