Cultural Boundaries
At the heart of this novel's setting is the crossroads between the East and the West. Jacob de Zoet and the rest of the Dutch merchants live on their own island, Dejima, just off the coast of the Japanese city of Nagasaki, and manage the trade between the two nations. The theme of cultural boundaries is obvious in every interaction between members of the two factions; interpreters are needed to translate entire conversations, and even the translators are often stymied by certain words or phrases. Ideas such as Adam Smith's economic philosophy are difficult for the Japanese to understand, and belief systems like Christianity are rejected outright. These boundaries are also evident in Jacob's interactions with Orito: he's not sure what her customs dictate, and he's constantly worrying that he's mortally offended her unwittingly.
Manipulation and Exploitation
Mitchell's world, mirroring our own, is far from perfect, and many of his characters are far from saints. Many of the important parties involved in all areas of interest, accordingly, use manipulation and exploitation to attempt to achieve their own selfish interests. One notable example is the members of the Dutch East Indies Company, almost all of whom attempt to supplement their incomes by smuggling, skimming off the top, and even cheating while gambling. Perhaps a more striking example, however, is the exploitation of Abbot Enomoto, who essentially takes disfigured women prisoner and forces his monks to rape them and take their children, which Enomoto sacrifices for his own nefarious gain.
Love and Loyalty
On the other side of the spectrum, the good characters Mitchell writes are as earnest in their loves and loyalties as his villains are in their wicked schemes. A perfect example of this love is the steadfast Uzaemon, who still loves Orito and who risks his own life to attempt to free her from her prison at the Shrine without thought to the danger to his own life (which he loses in the process). Likewise, Orito escapes her prison and is about to flee when she remembers the friends she's abandoning in the shrine, and her loyalty to those helpless women causes her to give up her new freedom for their sakes. Jacob de Zoet does, admittedly, seem to forget about Anna relatively quickly, but his affection for Orito is remarkably strong and unwavering, lasting even unto his death.
