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
Peik Lin knocks on Rachel’s bedroom door and offers her a tray of food. Rachel thanks her, but she seems disinterested and upset still. Rachel puts the tray aside once Peik Lin leaves. She hasn’t had an appetite since she came to in Cameron Heights, with Ah Ma’s lady’s maids reviving her. She’d asked Nick to get her out and Nick agreed, despite Eleanor’s protestations. They drove down the mountain, and Rachel insisted Nick drop her off at a hotel so she could sleep. He finally agreed, but as soon as he drove away, she canceled the credit card and got a taxi to Peik Lin’s. She’s been here ever since.
One consequence of Nick not prepping Rachel to deal with his family is that she was totally caught off guard by Ah Ma and Eleanor’s total disregard for her as a person. Rachel isn’t used to being treated like that in general, but especially not by family members. It’s especially galling because Rachel knows she’s not dating Nick for his money (she genuinely loves him), so it’s even more offensive to have people assume she is and treat her poorly because of that assumption.
Themes
Now, three days after arriving at Peik Lin’s, Rachel calls her mom. Angrily, she asks if her father is still alive and demands to know who Zhou Fang Min is. Kerry is silent for a long time, and then she asks to explain. Rather than let her mother explain, Rachel accuses her mom of kidnapping her and of depriving her of her father. Kerry tries to say that Zhou Fang Min was hateful and she had to save Rachel from him, but Rachel hangs up.
Kerry’s reaction suggests that Eleanor stumbled upon something true. But Rachel feels so betrayed, she’s unable and unwilling to let her mom explain herself. Though this may seem like Rachel and Kerry are drifting apart, it’s because they’re so close that Rachel feels safe enough to lose her temper with her mom. This offers hope that they’ll be able to reconcile later.
Themes
After a week, Rachel emerges from her room and joins the Goh family for lunch. She lets Neena make her a plate and thanks the Gohs for their hospitality, but she says she’s ready to leave. But before heading home, Rachel says, she wants to go to China and meet her father. When Wye Mun and Peik Lin ask, Rachel says she’s not sure if she’ll tell Nick—it’ll be just her luck that someone from his family will land in the prison yard in a helicopter just as she’s meeting her father. After laughing, Peik Lin and her family share that Nick has been calling daily. The family’s opinion is divided on whether Rachel should talk to him or not, but Wye Mun and Neena joke that it’s not Nick’s fault Eleanor is a terrible person. Rachel agrees to see Nick.
For now, Rachel doesn’t take anything Kerry said seriously, especially that Zhou Fang Min was “hateful.” Instead, Rachel focuses on wanting to see her dad because, in her definition of what family “should” be like, this means she’ll have one more person in her corner to support her, or at least help her understand herself and where she comes from. Wye Mun and Neena are joking, but they’re right that Nick isn’t responsible for his mother’s cruelty. And the differences between Nick and Eleanor suggest that it is indeed possible to have money and not have lost one’s compassion.
Themes
A few hours later, Rachel and Nick are sitting by the pool. Nick apologizes for Eleanor and Ah Ma’s behavior, but Rachel insists it’s not his fault. When pressed, Nick says he’s not staying at Tyersall Park—he’s at Colin’s apartment while Colin and Araminta are on their honeymoon. He suggests they go home to New York, but Rachel says she’s visiting China to see her father first—with just Peik Lin, not Nick. Then, she’s going to go to New York on her own, and she doesn’t think she and Nick should see each other after that. Nick insists he loves Rachel and wants to marry her, but Rachel notes that everyone here looks down on her, and Nick will inevitably want to move back to Singapore soon. His family and legacy are here, and she doesn’t want Nick to resent her.
This passage mirrors Michael and Astrid’s recent breakup conversation; both Michael and Rachel understand how important family is to their partners, as well as how hostile those families are to them because of their lower-class status. The similarities make it clear that this isn’t just a Michael and Astrid problem, or a Rachel and Nick problem. This is a widespread problem in the Young clan at large, as the older generations are adamant that lower-class people like Michael and Rachel aren’t welcome in the family.
Themes
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Nick continues to argue, but Rachel says that even if they return to the U.S. and have children, Nick’s family will never accept them. Rachel says that learning about Kerry’s lies has shown her that names and family connections don’t matter all that much. What matters is what she’s accomplished. Rachel doesn’t want her hypothetical children to think their worth comes from “making money, spending money, flaunting money, comparing money, hiding money, controlling others with money, and ruining their lives over money.” So, she and Nick can’t get married, as being part of his family means Rachel and any children could never escape.
Rachel recognizes that even if Nick were to agree to live in the U.S. and start a life with her, he doesn’t actually get to just reject his family. Their hypothetical children will still be Youngs—and that name comes with baggage, even if Ah Ma does disinherit Nick. And Rachel has come to realize that she wants her family to support each other instead of using each other as tools to control money. Thus, Rachel feels she must reject Nick’s proposal outright, as she believes money will permanently poison their marriage.
Themes
