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
Astrid wakes up in the morning and, much to Ah Chee’s horror, eats only a bowl of yogurt from the elaborate breakfast spread Ah Chee ordered. Then, Astrid dresses as inconspicuously as she can, borrows a pair of Charlie’s sunglasses, and insists on walking to Charlie’s office. Joining the energetic pedestrian traffic, Astrid expertly navigates through shopping plazas to Wuthering Towers, where a man with an earpiece whisks her through security and up to the 55th floor. There, in Charlie’s office, he introduces Astrid to Mr. Lui—who already knows where Michael is.
It seems likely that Astrid has Charlie to thank for being so comfortable navigating downtown Hong Kong herself (recall that Astrid’s dad, Harry, wants Astrid driven everywhere; he’d certainly not support her walking in the city unsupervised). This reinforces that Astrid is, in some ways, an anomaly in that she has old-money wealth that she uses in very new-money ways.
Themes
Mr. Lui shows Astrid images of Michael entering a flat in Mong Kok. The woman who lets him in wears shorts and a skimpy tank top, and Astrid says she looks familiar. Maybe the woman was at her wedding. Mr. Lui knows nothing about her, and the apartment is registered to a man. Just then, Mr. Lui gets a notification that the woman and a boy just left the flat. Michael is, in theory, alone, and Astrid says she wants to see him. Astrid insists on seeing Michael alone, without Charlie.
Astrid focuses on the woman’s clothing because it shows her that the woman is working-class and inappropriately sexual—that is, all the things Astrid dislikes this woman for. Insisting on visiting Michael without Charlie is in line with how Astrid and her ilk view marriage (as a totally private matter if there’s anything going wrong).
Themes
On the drive to the flat, Astrid doesn’t know what to think. Michael has clearly been having an affair since before he and Astrid married, so why did he marry her in the first place? Noting an ostentatiously-dressed couple in the car next to her, Astrid wonders what secrets they keep from each other, and whether they’re happy. Soon, Astrid is knocking on the apartment door. Michael answers, disgusted that Astrid apparently got Harry involved and tracked him down.
Michael views Astrid as his enemy here, and one that’s totally in league with her parents—that’s why he believes Harry tracked him down. This gets at the fact that Michael believes Astrid’s family is out to get him, or at least wholly dislikes him. And in turn, this offers more reason for why he’s unhappy in his marriage—he’s never been accepted into the family.
Themes
