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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
Nick borrows Philip’s 1963 Jaguar, and he and Rachel begin the drive to Malaysia. He points out the sights as they go, and it finally feels like they’re on vacation. They stop at a beach, where Nick buys food from a Malay woman and instructs Rachel to eat it with her fingers, as is the local custom. As they finish, the woman’s son returns with bags of ice and fresh sugarcane juice. Rachel asks why Nick never mentioned he speaks Malay, but Nick insists he only knows enough to order food. Continuing to push, Rachel says Nick downplays everything. She asks what his family is worth—people talk about them like they rule Asia’s economy, and she’d like to know what she’s supposedly after when people call her a “gold digger.”
Recall that prior to this point, money, Nick’s family, and marriage have never come up before between Nick and Rachel. Now, though, all three subjects loom large over this conversation. Rachel believes it’s her right to know exactly what she’s getting herself into if she and Nick stay together and eventually marry. She might not be in this relationship for the money, but she acknowledges through bringing this up that she can’t escape the money, either.
Themes
Nick is embarrassed. He’s been raised not to talk about money, but he also knows Rachel deserves to know—especially if he wants her to accept the ring in his pocket. So, he tells her the truth: he doesn’t know what his family is worth. His parents live on Eleanor’s inheritance, and Nick’s money comes from stocks his grandfather left him. He has no idea what Ah Ma is worth; she sees a financial adviser three times per year without even her lady’s maids present. She’s very wealthy, but nobody talks about the family fortune.
Nick’s response implies that Rachel is approaching this conversation in a very American way. She’s used to open, honest communication between close family members, while Nick is used to just not talking about things. Still, though Nick tells Rachel what he doesn’t know—exactly what his family is worth—he still leaves out a lot of other important information, such as that some branches of the family do, in fact, rule Asia’s economy and government.
Themes
Rachel asks why people think Nick will inherit it all, but Nick says rich people here like to gossip about money, but it’s just gossip. He always sensed he was different, but as a kid, he cared about dessert and catching tadpoles, not money. He’s not entitled like some of his cousins. Nick leads Rachel back to the car, apologizing for not telling her more before they got here. Cameron Heights is only three hours away and they should arrive before dark. Unbeknownst to Rachel, Nick called ahead and arranged for the butler to set up candles and champagne at the lookout point, so Nick can propose to Rachel as the sun sets.
Nick draws a distinction between himself (he’s wealthy, but also your average guy) and cousins like Eddie (who’s wealthy and insufferably entitled). The way that he thinks about wealth allows him to maintain his humanity and compassion, while Eddie, for instance, is focused only on making himself wealthier and more impressive, often at others’ expense. Nick also suggests that there’s so much money in his ultrawealthy circle that it’s basically a spectator sport. This doesn’t mean it’s not still important, though—people like Eleanor still want to preserve their fortunes, while women like Kitty want to marry up to improve their positions.
Themes
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Finally, Nick turns onto a private road that leads to a Tudor manor—Ah Ma’s summer lodge. He’s surprised when a young servant opens the door instead of the usual head butler. He curses when he sees Eleanor’s driver smoking at the edge of the lawn. Nick leads Rachel into the drawing room when he sees Eleanor there. He’s ready to argue, but then Eleanor excitedly tells Ah Ma that Nick is here. In Mandarin, a language Nick associates with being scolded as a child, Ah Ma says that she received “disturbing” news that Nick was coming here to propose to “the girl,” and she doesn’t give her permission for Nick to marry Rachel. So, they need to “stop all this nonsense” and go home so she can have a proper dinner, since the cooks aren’t ready for her here. Rachel is both thrilled and offended.
Finally, Ah Ma’s full power and influence comes to the forefront. Rachel was fine when it seemed like she and Nick were “just having fun,” but now, Ah Ma shows that she doesn’t actually care about Rachel at all. In fact, Rachel is so inconsequential that Ah Ma refers to her as “the girl.” Then, she treats Nick like a child by suggesting that Nick’s proposal is “nonsense,” and she seems to believe that when he’s told not to propose, Nick is going to happily drop Rachel and follow his mother and grandmother home. This ignores, of course, that Nick and Rachel are both adults and in love.
Themes
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Nick tells Ah Ma that he plans to marry Rachel anyway if she says yes, but Ah Ma argues that Rachel isn’t from a “proper family.” Offended, Rachel turns to leave. Nick grabs her arm so that she hears him say that Rachel’s family is wonderful, courteous, and respectful. They act this way, Ah Ma says, because Nick is a Young. Nick scoffs. Eleanor continues to insult Rachel’s pedigree, and Nick begins to lead Rachel away when Eleanor asks if Nick has met Rachel’s father—he didn’t die in an industrial accident, as Kerry has always told Rachel. Rachel looks at Eleanor like Eleanor is crazy, but Eleanor says she met her father, Zhou Fang Min, in a prison near Shenzhen. Eleanor then produces Rachel’s birth certificate and newspaper clippings announcing his imprisonment. Finally, there’s a notice that Kerry kidnapped a baby named Zhou An Mei.
During this confrontation, Nick asserts his independence from his family. They may see him as the key to the family fortune, but he rejects their attempts to reduce him to a pawn. By insisting on marrying Rachel anyway, he shows just how “western” he’s become after his time at school in England and working in the U.S.: he genuinely doesn’t care that Rachel’s family isn’t rich, as they’re all nice people (and not just because Nick is wealthy and powerful, as Ah Ma implies). Meanwhile, Eleanor reveals what Lorena’s private investigator was able to dig up, totally upending Rachel’s beliefs about her family. This information suggests Kerry has lied to Rachel—something Kerry and Rachel will no doubt have to discuss.
Themes
This argument has made it abundantly clear to Nick that Ah Ma has been so kind and generous to him because, thus far, he’s toed the line. But now that he steps out of line—as Philip did years ago when he married Eleanor instead of Jacqueline Ling—he realizes how overbearing and controlling Ah Ma is when it comes to her male family members.
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