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
That afternoon, Alexandra finds Su Yi having tea with Victoria and Fiona, doling out jewelry. Victoria looks ridiculous with a strand of diamonds over a gingham shirt, and Su Yi is giving Fiona an antique sapphire choker. Su Yi offers Alexandra jewelry, but Alexandra insists she’s wearing her pearls tonight—she doesn’t want to “look like one of those Khoo women.” Changing the subject, Su Yi asks why no one told her that Alistair and Kitty are engaged, and where is Kitty from? Her grandson can’t marry “some actress [...] of questionable lineage,” and Alexandra needs to break them up. Alexandra asks what Su Yi plans to do about Nick and Rachel, but Su Yi insists Nick is just “having fun” with Rachel. When her daughters begin arguing about how to get Alistair to give up Kitty, Su Yi tells a maid to call Oliver T’sien.
This passage helps readers understand where Su Yi stands on her grandsons’ romantic partners. That is, it’s fine to just “hav[e] fun” with whomever, but she expects to being consulted for approval when it comes to any prospective wives. This is why she gives Nick a pass here: he told her that he and Rachel are just having a fun vacation. Minimizing their relationship like that leads Su Yi to believe that Nick isn’t serious about Rachel, when readers (and other family members) know or suspect that Nick is, in fact, serious. This spells trouble for Rachel. It also highlights that though Nick and his grandma might be close, she still sees him primarily as a way to carry on the family line.
Themes
That evening, Rachel studies her reflection in the mirror and wonders if Nick was telling the truth earlier when he said he and Mandy were just childhood sweethearts—Mandy seemed awfully protective. Nick enters, tells Rachel she looks gorgeous, and leads her into the hallway.
Mandy has successfully caused Rachel to doubt her relationship with Nick, at least a little bit. Eleanor’s plan is working—at least for now.
Themes
Just then, Augustine races past and insists he has to hide: he spilled Fanta on Eddie’s suit, and Eddie threatened to kill Augustine. Nick promises to protect the boy. At the bottom of the stairs, Eddie is screaming at the housekeeper that he needs his suit cleaned now. When he sees Augustine, Eddie shouts curses at his son and starts up the stairs. Fiona grabs his arm, and Eddie accuses her of wrinkling his shirt. Nick tries to reason with Eddie, but Eddie says his family’s “monochromatic fashion statement” is ruined. At this, Fiona says she’s tired of Eddie’s behavior and asks Nick if she and the children can ride to the ball with him and Rachel. She tells Rachel she looks amazing and, glaring at Eddie, insists Rachel borrow the sapphire choker from Su Yi tonight. She doesn’t need it to look good.
Eddie continues to demonstrate that his immense wealth has robbed him of his humanity. As he sees it, nothing is more important than his family’s “monochromatic fashion statement,” but that doesn’t actually justify making death threats to a child or abusing the housekeeping staff. His behavior pushes Fiona to her breaking point; she refuses to continue letting Eddie treat her and their children like props. Lending the necklace to Rachel allows Fiona to spite Eddie by defying how he wants her to look, while also signaling that she accepts lower-class Rachel (or is, at least, willing to use Rachel when it’s convenient, though she’s shown no animosity toward Rachel thus far).
Themes
