The Chinese Immigrant Experience
Foremost among the broader themes the book explores is the experience of immigrants coming to America from China. The book around the turn of the 20th century which was around the middle mark of the first great wave of Chinese immigration to America. The setting is also specifically San Francisco which, because it is home to the most famous “Chinatown” section in the country, is synonymous with the Chinese-American experience for many non-Chinese American. Much of the story is focused on the outsider experience of Moon Shadow upon coming to this new land which must certainly be a thematic aspect any immigrant can understand and relate to.
Family Unity
That feeling of being an outsider is significantly diluted to an extent by virtue of the closeness of the family unit. The importance of family solidarity within the Chinese culture generally speaking and especially as it applies to the necessity engendered by coming to a new country and being surrounded by a strange culture is also foremost with the narrative. The connectivity and dependence upon family unity is portrayed as essential components for dealing with external culture clash as well as internal conflicts.
Ambition: Dreams and Determination
What is the difference between a goal and a dream? Some would say ambition, drive and the determination to make it happen. Everyone has dreams, but not all those dreams really translate into actual goals. The book explores this fine line which can mean the difference between a life of contentment and a life of misery. The central plot involving Moon Shadow learning of the dream of his father—Windrider—that he was a dragon in a previous incarnation and his determination to become one again is fantastical and more than a little mystical, but its root is also a story set solidly in the real world; a it is a thematic parable about how determination can transform seemingly impossible dreams into attainable ambitions.
