The Immigrant Experience
As the title might indicate, the primary focus of this novel about Chinese society is the process of assimilation into American society. The immigrant experience as a whole—the application of which applies those Chinese or not—is the foundation upon which the entire narrative is constructed.
Capitalism
Much of the novel is a critique of capitalism and its excesses and negative influence on characters. For instance, the sexual affair that takes place between the wife of the family at the center of the story and a millionaire business partner is portrayed in terms less about romance and more about exuberant dreams of sumptuous success. The husband of that family, by contrast, quickly jettisons his academic success and the potential for a career in academia to pursue an entrepreneurial dream. That dream briefly provides capitalist success but turns out to be literally built upon a rotten foundation that is highly symbolic as well.
Gender Liberation
Feminism may be too strong a word for the liberation that is experienced by the female Chinese immigrants once they make it to American shores. Themes of liberation are explored through the adulterous affair of the matriarch, but also through the sudden obsession with fashion that comes with coming from a culture marked by drabness and utilitarian style.
The American Dream
Ultimately, the novel suggests that immigrant experience—regardless of the place from where it begins—always ends up at the same place. That place is not a destination, but a goal: achieving the American Dream. Cultural identities are willingly sacrificed and tossed aside from the hope of reaching a destination and everybody who comes to America hops aboard the same train that will hopefully end at the same terminal station: realizing the dream of success.
