57 pages • 1 hour read
Ana HuangKing of Wrath: An Arranged Marriage Romance
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Overworking
Workaholism is a motif associated with multiple characters throughout King of Wrath. Characters like Dante, Vivian’s friend Sloane, and others are directly accused of overworking. Vivian has the least attached relationship with her work; she works a lot and is dedicated, but she does not overwork. The first time that she leans into overwork is when she first leaves Dante after discovering the truth about their relationship. She uses work on the Legacy Ball to avoid thinking about what happened, concerning even her most work-obsessed friend, Sloane.
Dante, however, has chosen to live for his job at the beginning of the novel. When he thinks about his engagement to Vivian and marriage more generally, he thinks:
The thought of shackling myself to someone for the rest of my life was as appealing as walking into the ocean with concrete blocks strapped to my feet. I preferred work over people, many of whom didn’t appreciate coming in second place to contracts and meetings. But business was lucrative, practical, and, for the most part, predictable. Relationships were not (30).
Dante’s overworking is an outgrowth of his obsession with taking responsibility for his company and his family, stepping in to take care of his brother, Luca, after his parents left them at a young age. This motif therefore highlights The Impact of Familial Pressures. Vivian notices this overly developed sense of responsibility when they visit his parents in Bali, and Luca recognizes it by the end of the novel when he confronts a wallowing Dante post-breakup with Vivian. He tells Dante that he appreciates everything Dante has done, but that it’s time for Dante to take care of his own happiness. In the end, Dante does just that, pursuing Vivian for real and eventually going so far as to take a vacation before their wedding without his work phone.
Fast Food and Cheap Restaurants
Between Dante and Vivian, fast food and cheap restaurants symbolize little rebellions against the pretentious limitations of elite society. Dante’s choice to get food from a stand in the park surprises Vivian, but he asserts, “I pay for quality, not price. Expensive doesn’t always equal good, especially when it comes to food” (66-7). They have both lived with the strict pretensions of their families, avoiding anything that may link them to the lower classes, but both also recognize value in any arena and refuse to be limited by the biases of their families or upper-class society.
This shared opinion about food bonds the two of them, particularly since they have hidden their preferences from their families and most others. It becomes a shared interest and a way to develop intimacy, as they share it with very few people in their life. As their relationship develops, food (particularly take-out) becomes a symbol of affection and care. Even before they admit their feelings to themselves, they both reach out to one another through food. Dante insists that Vivian eat after the traumatic robbery. He also picks up food from Vivian’s favorite sushi restaurant and takes it to her office to share lunch. Furthermore, when Dante pulls away after Paris, Vivian picks up food from his favorite place in New York, the Moondust Diner, and takes it to his office. Food becomes not only a symbol of rebellion against poor relationships but a symbol of love in good relationships.
The Photos
Francis uses the photos of Luca and Maria to blackmail Dante; they are therefore a symbol of Compromising Morality for Success. Each time they appear in the narrative, they signal that either Dante or Francis is choosing to prioritize money or pride over moral choices. The controversy over the photos also stems from the fact that a mafia don would murder Luca if he saw them, providing another example of someone who compromises morality for business success.
Furthermore, the photos also signal a lack of character development when they appear. Each time Dante focuses on finding them, he is not Choosing Vulnerability over Wrath. Similarly, they are a preserved snapshot of Luca’s past, and the threat of their leak holds him back from pursuing a fulfilling future. They can only develop as characters when there is no longer a threat of a leak.
Related Titles
By Ana Huang
