Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Does Rachel experience isolation while in Singapore? What quotes prove this?

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan is a novel about an American-corn Chinese woman named Rachel Chu. Rachel's boyfriend, Nicholas Young, is from a very wealthy family in Singapore. When Nick invites Rachel to spend the summer with him in Singapore, she expects to spend the summer getting to know Nick better and to spend time with his family. She quickly realizes that Nick is not from a normal family, and that he is one of the most eligible bachelors in the country.
Rachel has a sense of isolation when she is in Singapore. Most of her feelings of isolation come from the fact that she is not accepted by Nick's family or friends. She is viewed as being not good enough for a variety of reasons. Her presence alone is enough to irritate her boyfriend's family because she is American-raised and not from a wealthy family. Rachel is taken advantage of by Nick's mother and at times is too nice. She also experiences rude treatment at a bachelorette party from the other girls in Nick's life.
One example that shows that Rachel feels isolated when she is with Nick's family is when she makes the decision to break things off with Nick because of the way his family treats her. She says,

As much as I love you, Nick, I don't want to be your wife. I never want to be a part of a family like yours. I can't marry into a clan that thinks it's too good to have me.

When Rachel says this, she is standing up for herself and realizing that she is the one who determines her self-worth, not the family of her boyfriend. Rachel is a strong woman who knows how she ought to be treated.
Another quote that shows that Rachel's visit is not welcome is as follows:

In their world, you did not bring home some unknown girl unannounced.

Astrid, Nick's cousin, says this to show that Rachel will not be well-received. Any person would feel isolated if they were to be an unwelcome guest.
The other women at the bachelorette party are quite jealous of Rachel and make her feel uncomfortable with their gossip. The ladies call Rachel "the one from New York" and also say how disgraceful it is that Rachel and Nick share a hotel room when they are not married. The way these women speak about Rachel would make any person feel isolated and unwelcome.
Despite feelings of isolation, Rachel ultimately stands up for herself and reconciles with Nick.

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