“Eleanor had a long-held theory about men. She truly believed that for most men, all that talk of ‘being in love’ or ‘finding the right one’ was absolute nonsense. Marriage was purely a matter of timing, and whenever a man was finally done sowing his wild oats and ready to settle down, whichever girl happened to be there at the time would be the right one.”

Eleanor has a cynical view of love, basing it on her belief in men’s need to have sexual interactions with many different women during their youth. She also feels that making a good match is more important than finding love. This quote directly foreshadows her decision to get rid of Rachel. Since Nick is 32, she believes he is at the age that most men decide to settle down, and she wants to make sure that the timing does not mean he will settle on Rachel rather than finding a more suitable match.

“To Eleanor, every single person occupied a specific space in the elaborately constructed social universe in her mind.”

Eleanor believes in a strict social hierarchy based on class. This is an important trait that provides the reader with information about her characterization. It also reveals a lot about traditional Chinese families and society. Eleanor’s elaborate universe of judgment becomes a maze that Rachel must navigate.

“Old-money Chinese absolutely loathe wasting money on long-distance telephone calls, almost as much as they hate wasting money on fluffy towels, bottled water, hotel rooms, expensive Western food, taking taxis, tipping waiters, and flying anything other than economy class.”

Here, Kwan takes a satirical look at the ironic behaviors of the wealthy. He points out that people born into this class are often more frugal than people who aren’t as financially privileged. On one hand, this frugality comes from a belief that it is in bad taste to flaunt one’s wealth; on the other hand, it comes from a practical mindset.