Supernatural Versus Modern
Throughout the book, characters are making their way between older Chinese traditions involving the supernatural and modern Western customs. This is well represented in the contrast between Tian Bai and Er Lang. Tian Bai, who is more modern, is skeptical of supernatural things and attracted to Hong Kong, technology, and business ventures. For him, the spirit world is outdated and nothing to be afraid of. In contrast, as a dragon, Er Lang is the personification of the supernatural and the older Chinese tradition; he even wears traditional Han clothing even though it is illegal to do so at the time.
The Importance of Motherhood
Motherhood plays a large role in The Ghost Bride. Li Lan's late mother causes her father to draw into himself, and Amah, Li Lan's closest friend, is a surrogate mother to her. Li Lan must learn how to navigate growing up and preparing for marriage in the absence of a mother figure, which is a significant part of what leaves her vulnerable to becoming a ghost bride in the first place. Later in the novel, we learn that it is her mother's love that literally kept Li Lan alive, since her mother sacrificed part of her spirit to keep Li Lan safe from smallpox. Even the antagonists are preoccupied with motherhood: Madame Lim is driven by the love of her son, and the woman who murdered Li Lan's mother did so because she was jealous of Li Lan's mother having children.
The Visible vs the Invisible World
The novel's settings and characters constantly move being between visible and invisible, the physical world and the world of spirits. Despite the spiritual world being unseen, it is still very much present and has an effect on everyone in the novel. The wisest characters in the novel—the medium, Old Wong, and Er Lang—are familiar with things that are unseen to the average human eye. But while this makes them wise, it also makes their lives very difficult. While the characters who have not been intimate with the spiritual world still remain aware of and affected by it, having direct contact with it makes a huge difference, as Li Lan learns over the course of the novel. The novel suggests that in some ways, ignorance is bliss, as dealing with the world of the spirits can be difficult and requires constant courage.
Monsters
The book flips traditional concepts of what monsters are on their heads. Normally, monsters would be the beings that are inhuman, like Er Lang and the hungry ghosts. However, in The Ghost Bride, the monsters—those who threaten stability and sow evil—are the humans: Lim Tian Ching, Master Awyoung, and Fan, to name a few. The actions that make them monstrous are not inhuman, but extremely human; things like jealousy, possessiveness, and greed are what drive them to commit heinous acts. So despite Li Lan's tongue-in-cheek comment that she is marrying a monster (Er Lang), with his willingness to both give up his life for Li Lan and to give her years of his life, Er Lang in some ways seems like the one of the least "monstrous" characters in the novel.
Haunting in Different Forms
Although Li Lan is directly haunted only by Lim Tian Ching, there are several other, more metaphorical examples of how she is being haunted. In a way, her mother haunts her, with Li Lan feeling the gap her mother left in her life to such an extent that it motivates her to try and go to the plains of the dead to meet her. Li Lan misses her mother deeply, as does her father, who is also haunted by the memory of his wife and her death. Others, like Madame Lim and the old grandfather, are haunted by the death of those that they loved. Overall, this book demonstrates how the past, whatever form it takes, will always be haunting you.
Love
Over the course of the novel, Li Lan learns about several different kinds of love. At first, she centers the love she believes she has for Tian Bai— he is a handsome young man and she is so enamored with him that a thread develops between them in the spirit world. But after learning more about him, and seeing romantic love go sour, Li Lan learns that love is often not so simple. The love between her parents was beautiful, but it ultimately led to her father neglecting Li Lan; Tian Bai may think that he’s in love with Li Lan, but he doesn’t love her like he loved Isabel. Li Lan’s experiences with Er Lang, Amah, and her mother teaches her that while love starts with being enamored with something, its deeper, truer form rests on sacrifice and selflessness.
The Physical versus the Spiritual
Li Lan literally travels between the physical and spiritual world during this book, but the relationship between the physical and spiritual is bigger than that. Characters must constantly navigate the physical impacts that the spiritual world has on them and vice versa. Li Lan's father's spiritual issues—his inability to get over the death of his wife—have a physical impact on him and his family, causing him to become addicted to opium and neglect his family. On the opposite end, Amah uses physical means, like spell papers, to make an impact on evil spirits like Lim Tian Ching and Fan. Although in the beginning, it seems these worlds are very far apart from each other, by the end of the novel, it becomes clear that they not only mirror each other but are deeply intertwined.
