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
Upon returning to Tyersall Park, Rachel returns the sapphire necklace to Fiona, hurries to her bedroom, and begins shoving her clothes in her suitcase. When Nick appears, confused, Rachel says she’s had enough of the “crazy women” in Nick’s life, like Mandy and Francesca. She brings up the threesome, and Nick says they were 16 and hormonal. (He doesn’t say Francesca was different before she got all the money from her grandfather.) Rachel breaks down and tells Nick all the terrible things that happened at the bachelorette. Nick feels awful; he had no idea, and he begs her to let him make it up to her.
Finally, Rachel snaps. She’s so out of her depth in Singapore, and it’s beyond her why people would behave so cruelly towards her just for the opportunity to marry Nick themselves. Valuing money over a genuine relationship with one’s life partner simply isn’t something she understands at all. For his part, Nick doesn’t really get it either—if he did, he may have seen a reason to prepare her or to approach Eleanor differently.
Themes
Rachel says Nick still doesn’t get it. He didn’t prepare her for this, and it’s hard to know who he is anymore. Rachel says she doesn’t feel like she could fit in here, but Nick argues that she does fit. Everyone loves her, from Colin and Mehmet to his parents and the rest of his family. Sighing, Rachel feels her anger dissipating: this is exactly what Francesca wanted to happen. Nick suggests they skip the tea ceremony tomorrow and go somewhere special. There will be no private jets: they’re driving to Malaysia.
Again, some of Rachel’s disillusionment with Nick comes from the fact that he doesn’t fully understand how exclusive and cutthroat upper-class Singaporean society is. He may have grown up in it, but (perhaps because he’s male) he’s oblivious to how important money, and preserving family money, is to his Singaporean peers.
Themes
