Love and Romance
Love and Romance feature heavily as theme in the novel and this comes as no surprise given the premise of the story. Although romantic, sexual love is the most greatly emphasized, there are also several nuances and iterations of love that are also given the spotlight. There is also the paternal love of Woodrow for his son which was made particularly manifest when his wife passed away, as if he were playing a catch up game with his son. There is also the filial love that Raymond shows his parents, making sure that he never got into trouble and got good grades, even going as far as marrying a Chinese wife to please them. However the expression, love is central.
Identity
Another major recurring theme is identity. All of the major characters are Asian-American and being members of an ethnic minority they struggle between assuming a more mainstream “American” identity when in school or at work then slipping into a more ethnic, in this case, Chinese for Raymond, when at home or when in family gatherings. The pressure to conform is immense especially during their younger years where they get teased in school, simply for being Asian. Conversely, the pressure to conform is also immense during family gatherings as there is the matter of family pride and expectations on the line. Having these two immense sources of pressure the question often for many Asian-Americans is no longer “who am I?” but rather “who should I be in this scenario?”
The Clash of Cultures
The theme of clash of cultures often intersects and overlaps with the theme of identity and family ties as they are so closely intertwined. This theme also do not simply refer to the friction that results from differences between the ethnic or native culture versus the adoptive nation’s culture but also the adoptive nation’s cultural perceptions of the Asian-Americans versus the Asian-Americans of themselves. Betty, being of Vietnamese descent and a first-generation migrant, experiences of growing up in the US very differently from Raymond, who was born in the US. Aurora likewise having Eurasian roots experiences growing up in the US even more differently than Raymond or Betty.
Battle of the Sexes
The gender divide is a theme that is closely tied to the theme of culture differences and it is present not just in the American workplace but also within the families that the characters are in. Raymond lives with the constant pressure from his parents to live up to certain expectations because he is the eldest male in their family. He is expected to sire children, preferably sons, to carry on the family name. He is also expected to marry an ethnic Chinese woman, again, presumably to maintain ethnic purity. His divorce comes therefore as a great disappointment to his father and he does not let a single opportunity slide to let Raymond know of how disappointed he is with him. Aurora on the other hand struggles to be taken seriously as a photojournalist because she is an Asian woman.
Family Ties
Familial relations can be found all throughout the novel, most all of them messy, complicated matters, and as with other themes explored in the novel also closely tied to the theme of culture clash. Raymond marries Darleen more out of a sense of filial duty to his parents rather than out of genuine love. When they finally divorce Raymond feels the strain not just upon himself but also between him and his father because Woodrow views his divorce as the end of the Ding Family bloodline. Raymond’s relationship with Darleen’s family is every bit as difficult in that although he and Darleen are technically adults, their decisions always need to be made with Darleen family in mind as they will always have a very large say in matters concerning their union. Raymond is given a job as night manager in Darleen’s family restaurant where he is treated more like a figurehead, given only cursory respect by the staff because of his status as “son-in-law.” Betty is also the result of estranged family ties as she still harbors deep trauma from her abusive ex-husband.
