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
Harry Leong sends his security men to check Astrid’s hospital room and then strides in moments later with Felicity. He and Felicity are enraged that Astrid has been in the hospital—and a public one, at that—for two days and hasn’t told them. Astrid insists she just had a minor concussion and Cassian is fine, arguing with Harry that she won’t let him assign her and Cassian a driver. Just then, Michael and Cassian, who’s holding a balloon happily, enter. Harry shouts at Michael that he’s working too much and should be “escorting” Astrid. Astrid insists that she, Michael, and Cassian are going home, now.
While Harry’s behavior may seem pretty out of line to American readers, keep in mind that Astrid is an important part of a vast family empire—her survival, and Cassian’s, is part of how the Leong fortune gets passed down and kept in the family. Astrid may understand this on some level, but she’s still more like Nick in that she wants some autonomy to run her life and her marriage how she sees fit.
Themes
Once they’re home, Astrid sends Cassian and his nanny to the beach house and gives the staff the day off. She and Michael are alone, and it’s time: Astrid says that the accident happened because she was distracted thinking about the affair she knows Michael is having. Michael slumps, clearly guilty—and then, shockingly, he apologizes and says he’ll leave. He refuses to tell Astrid anything about the woman or the boy, and he insists that their marriage hasn’t been working for a long time, if it ever did. Astrid is stunned and insists that she is happy, or she was until she saw the text. But she says she’ll deal with it and that they can move on. Michael remains adamant that he’s moving out—it’ll be better for Cassian. He’s leaving today. Astrid feels trapped in a bad dream; her husband can’t be leaving her.
Sophie implied earlier that “imperfect” families (divorced parents, or one deceased) are scorned, and Eleanor has also spoken poorly of divorcées. Astrid wants to make it work to keep up appearances and not end up like “those people” her family members and peers look down on. She’s also trying to save Cassian from growing up and feeling like Sophie did: that having an “imperfect” family set her apart. It’s a shock to her that Michael isn’t also willing to stick it out, and this highlights that Michael comes from a very different circle and culture than Astrid does. This also seems to be a lot of the reason why the marriage didn’t work in the first place.
Themes
