Tradition vs. Modern

The combination of traditional ways against modern ideals is shown through characters like Juliette and the state of the city.

Juliette is the epitome of this theme, as she is a girl who wants to fit in with her family while also embodying more modern ideals. When the reader is first introduced to her, she is described as a woman who is “transformed through and through, the little beads of her pocketless flapper dress swishing with every movement” (9). This is very different from the traditional Chinese dress and Juliette even gets angry when a member of the Scarlett Gang does not recognize her outside of her American attire. She often wonders if she can exist between both worlds and wishes she did not have to choose.

However, Shanghai itself is a representation of the connection between traditionalism and modernism as it sits between both...