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
Eleanor can’t believe her eyes when she enters Carol’s house and finds Carol and Dato’ Tai Toh Lui watching as Sister Gracie, a Pentecostal preacher, smash priceless antique Chinese furniture and art because it’s “satanic.” These images of “idols,” Sister Gracie insists, are why Bernard ran off to Vegas to marry Kitty, a “pregnant soap opera harlot who pretends to be from Taiwan.” Daisy, Eleanor, and Lorena watch Sister Gracie destroy a Qianlong funerary urn and then race to the bedroom to rescue as many antiques as possible. They fill shopping bags and purses, and Eleanor tries to brush past a maid entering the bedroom so she can take some bags out to her car.
Sister Gracie is destroying not just millions of dollars’ worth of artwork. She’s also destroying pieces that are important to Chinese history. That the Tais don’t care about that, and instead prioritize trying to pray Bernard and Kitty’s Vegas marriage out of existence, speaks to their privilege. In this regard, Eleanor and her other friends take the sensible stance: rescue the antiques. Eleanor and her other friends may be just as wealthy or wealthier than Carol, but they also see the value in preserving these items just for the sake of preserving them.
Themes
The woman Eleanor thinks is a maid, though, isn’t a maid: it’s Nadine, but she’s in sweatpants with no makeup or jewelry. Bleakly, Nadine says her father-in-law woke up from his coma and couldn’t handle the fact that the family now lives in a mansion with servants. He lost it when he saw Francesca dressed up in couture clothes. The next morning, he took control of Shaw Foods, froze every family member’s bank account, and insisted everyone pay back what they’ve spent in the last six years. If they don’t, they’ll be disinherited, and the Shaw Foundation will get all his money when he dies.
Nadine’s sudden transformation highlights that the only thing separating Eleanor and her ilk from the maids is their money. With the money—and the makeup and clothes it bought—gone, Nadine is just another faceless middle- or working-class woman. Her father-in-law’s choice to do this, meanwhile, shows again that some rich people maintain their compassion and responsibility to others. And in this case, he’s willing to try to coerce his family into at least acting like they care about more than just themselves.
Themes
Nadine says she’s doing fine; her father-in-law will no doubt have another stroke soon and things will go back to normal. But Francesca is struggling. She lost her monthly allowance and can’t possibly live on her lawyer’s salary. She had to resign from charitable boards, her friends have abandoned her, and she screams at Nadine every night that they should’ve “pulled the plug on the old man” while they could. Daisy says that this is what happens when you give kids everything. Carol spoiled Bernard, and now they have Kitty as a daughter-in-law. Nadine muses that they at least saved Nick from Rachel, but Eleanor sighs that Nick won’t talk to her or to Ah Ma now. Parents try so hard to protect their kids, but the kids don’t care.
In a darkly humorous turn, Nadine reveals that she’s not upset by these changes because her father-in-law is inevitably going to lose his ability to make decisions about the money. Her lack of affect here is what’s so shocking and funny—it highlights just how heartless money can make people. Francesca illustrates another aspect of this when she suggests her family should’ve pulled her grandfather off of life support long ago so they could keep his money.
Themes
Eleanor continues that Nick has no idea how badly he’s messed things up with Ah Ma—Ah Ma never forgives. Now, the “sacrifices” Eleanor made were for nothing. She explains that she’s spent her life positioning Nick to be the favorite grandson and heir to Tyersall Park by letting Nick have a closer relationship to Ah Ma than with her. But Nick doesn’t care: he just wants to teach history. Sister Gracie interrupts Eleanor’s lament by heading toward the bedroom, preaching about false idols, and Daisy hisses that they need to get their bags of antiques out now.
By talking about how she “sacrifice[d]” for Nick, Eleanor sounds like your standard parent—she even sounds like she and Kerry could have something to talk about. However, her sacrifices meant alienating her son, and they also entailed treating him like a pawn and not a person. Scoffing that he just wants to teach history suggests that Eleanor doesn’t care about who Nick is and what he loves—or indeed, who he loves. She just wants him to have Ah Ma’s money.
Themes
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