The Paradise Problem

“Every fine arts major at UCLA dreams of becoming the next big set designer, costume mastermind, or art scene It kid, but those of us whose ambitions are simply ‘afford rent and health insurance’ are aware we will most likely be waitresses by day and hobby painters by night.”

Anna discusses the differences between aspirations and reality, and her comments also highlight The Societal Impact of Class Differences. Although Anna does not deny that she has lofty aspirations, this quote shows that she is bluntly honest even with herself, and she knows that the odds of becoming a famous artist are slim at best. The passage also introduces her two primary goals at the start of the novel: to afford rent and to pay for health insurance.

“Even if you two travel separately, perhaps you could call your father beforehand? I’d like you two to iron out your wrinkles before we arrive on the island with everyone else. I don’t want any tension to be visible from the outside.”

Janet makes this statement during her phone call with Liam as she urges him to go to Charlie’s wedding. The metaphorical phrase “iron out your wrinkles” emphasizes Janet’s overdeveloped concern for appearances, and it is also clear that Liam’s family minimizes the depth of the difficulties that lie between him and Ray.

“Google tells me that West is the son of a billionaire, and a glance at my banking app tells me I am a thirty-dollaraire. We don’t exist in the same galaxy, let alone metaverse.”

In this passage, Anna’s voice and dry tone are plainly evident as she fully acknowledges the wealth gap between herself and Liam, and she also understands the extent of the job she has allowed herself to take on by agreeing to go to Charlie’s wedding with him. She must therefore step into what feels like a different world, and because of the vast income disparities between her and the other wedding guests, she finds herself a constant outsider in these opulent circumstances.

“Once, when we were roommates, Anna flew to Seattle with a friend. It had been her first time on an airplane, and she struggled so much navigating the travel website that she brought me her laptop at midnight and asked for help. I finished the transaction for her, prebooked the car to the airport, and then quietly tracked the ride the day she left to make sure she got there okay. When she got home, she made a point of thanking me for the help. Apparently, the trip itself was fine, but the highlight for her had been flying on an airplane.”

Liam’s description of Anna’s first experience with flying on a commercial airline does as much to characterize him as it does her. Given his willingness to help her without judgment, he proves himself to be a kind and capable person who will always make extra efforts to ensure that the people he cares about will be all right, and his concern is even more significant given that he and Anna barely know each other during their college years. The moment also highlights another difference between the two; while Anna has never flown before, Liam has experience with everything needed to arrange the trip.

“Everything I’ve seen so far tells me that the money Vivi spent on the clothing in my luggage is a drop in the ocean for this family. The ten-thousand-dollar check that was life-changing for me is nothing to the Westons.”

This quote emphasizes The Societal Impact of Class Differences, for Anna finds herself reflecting on the pointed contrasts between her view of money and the Weston family’s cavalier attitude toward their vast resources. The passage also introduces the fact that Anna is disturbed by the blatant excesses of the Westons, who spend copious amounts of money on frivolous whims rather than investing in serving the needs of those who are less fortunate.

“I suppose my temperament and the strategic invention of a computer program when I was in my teens that simplified a huge waste and inventory issue had my father’s laser sights on me as CEO.

But I’m where this plan broke down, and Dad has no one to blame but himself, though it would never occur to him to do so.”

Liam drops references to his computer program throughout the novel, and these frequent yet enigmatic mentions create a sense of mystery around the issue that stands between him and Ray, raising questions about how this past incident is connected to the current strife in the Weston family. Liam’s description depicts his younger self as a prodigy and proves him to be capable and clear-sighted—unlike Ray, who is incapable of seeing his own faults.

“I realize incomprehensible sums of money are at stake here, but for me, it’s like a murder mystery party. […] Being suspicious of everyone. Wearing costumes.”

In this passage, Anna encapsulates the paradox at the center of her ruse and highlights the low stakes that the endeavor initially holds for her. The money, problems, and responsibilities of the Weston family are so huge that they feel imaginary to her, and this mindset connects with her later wish that she had never found out about the existence of this level of personal wealth.

“Look how quickly you dismiss all that work. […] Your mom birthed four babies and helped your dad manage an empire. Blaire birthed four and is married to Alex. Of course they have nannies.”

Anna brings a new perspective to the way Liam sees things when he dismisses the work of motherhood by saying “they have help.” While Anna does acknowledge Janet and Blaire’s excesses, she also recognizes the real work they do, and she sees it as only natural that they should have help. This statement connects the novel firmly with the contemporary perspective by incorporating specific recognition of the inequities in women’s labor both within and beyond the home.

“She says it like any other fact: it’s hot today, the sky is so clear, my mother wasn’t ready to be a mother. For a breath I’m so envious of her easy vulnerability.”

Anna’s ability to identify her feelings impresses Liam, who struggles with his own emotions due to the dysfunctional nature of his family. However, he fails to see the extensive emotional work that Anna has undertaken to arrive at this measured perspective of her mother, and he does not yet realize how much her mother’s influence still bothers her.

“Throughout my life, Dad has said this to me a hundred times, but given that we haven’t spoken in five years—after the fight about my return to school rather than my return to the family company—any rational person would have assumed he’d have given up on me succeeding him at the top. It’s one thing to hope I’ll come back to Weston Foods; it’s another thing entirely to think I’d ever step into his corrupt shoes.”

In this passage, Liam illustrates the differences between Ray’s way of thinking and his own, and he also hints at the reasons for their estrangement and subtly suggests that Ray is not a rational person. This exposition outlines the expectations that the family has for Liam, placing them in opposition to his expectations for himself. The scene also emphasizes the extent to which he disdains his father’s approach to business.

“As an only child, she’s never had those things before, and this suddenly feels so much bigger than just the two of us. I knew what I was asking her to give while we were here, but had no idea what I was asking her to give up at the end of this.

Just then, over Reagan’s shoulder, Anna’s eyes go wide and she spots me, watching her give my niece something I’m sure she rarely gets anymore—the pure, undivided attention of an adult.”

Liam watches Anna help Reagan work through her sadness and realizes that the ruse of their marriage will have emotional impacts on multiple people, including his niece. Reagan is beginning to see Anna as her aunt, and Anna gives Reagan the kind of attention that money cannot buy. Watching Anna with Reagan deepens Liam’s admiration and emphasizes the value of Preserving Authenticity Amidst Pretense.

“I almost can’t believe the words I’m seeing. Dad eating? Dad getting out of the house for a meal? I’m not always good at managing the white-knuckling fear of losing him, and hearing this makes hope expand inside me until it seems to push every other feeling aside.”

Anna’s response to Vivi’s news about David’s health shows how much she cares for him and heightens the stakes involved in earning enough money to pay his medical bills. Her effusive joy at the news that he can now accomplish simple things like enjoying his food and having the energy to leave the house show that she deeply values and honors her family connections in a way that the Westons cannot implement amongst themselves.

“He has no way of knowing what a direct hit that was. That he’s got me in the soft underbelly, my biggest fear, that it won’t just be my life I’ll ruin, it will be all of ours. I haven’t felt this close to crying since I was twenty years old and my entire world shattered around me.”

Liam describes the damaging emotional impact of Ray’s statement that he gave his children everything and can take it all away. This passage also builds irony, foreshadowing, and tension, especially when he admits that his world shattered when he was 20. This oblique mention of the as-yet-undescribed impacts of the PISA scandal indicates that Ray is fully aware of the abuse he is inflicting upon his son, as he is fully aware of Liam’s fraudulent marriage and the loophole in the trust.

“‘The very first time I visited House Lannister,’ she says with a smirk, ‘Alex was a nervous wreck. I’m sure you’ve seen how he gets with his dad, and I know I can be a handful.’”

Blaire uses an allusion to George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series to describe the dysfunction and excesses of the Weston family; her remark is part snark and part truth, and the reference emphasizes the extent to which the family is untrustworthy and scheming, placing a higher value on money and power than on familial tenderness or respect.

“‘Even if you told me the offer was all fake, and you don’t actually have two nickels to rub together,’ I tell him, ‘I’d still stay and help you pull this off. I’m your ride-or-die, West Weston.’”

Anna’s vow of absolute loyalty has an unexpected impact on Liam, who has never experienced this form of support from anyone else in his life. His reaction—to flee from the conversation entirely—is the inciting incident behind their first real fight and the deepening of their relationship when they resolve their misunderstanding. The moment also highlights the fact that Anna values happiness over wealth and foreshadows her growing desire to remain his wife after the trip ends.

“And it’s only when she excuses herself and walks away, marching straight out of the tent that I finally register the unnamed cocktail of anguish that’s been churning in me all day.

It is the comfort of having an ally. It is the powerlessness of infatuation. It is the terrifying beginning of more.”

Liam’s heartfelt metaphor aptly describes the emotional turmoil that he has been experiencing, and his confused thoughts also reveal the fact that his clumsiness with emotions is a result of the abusive nature of his family dynamics. The moment also shows the depth of his growing feelings for Anna and emphasizes how alien it is for him to have someone who is unconditionally on his side.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever loved a laugh as much as I love his […] there is nothing better than when a surprised burst rips from his throat. I’d say a laugh like that comes from the belly because the sound is so round and joyful, but in West’s case I think it comes from his chest, from that secret room in his heart that he keeps so carefully locked.”

Liam’s laugh becomes important to Anna because she uses humor to defuse tense situations even as Liam keeps his emotions closely in check. As Anna figures out how to make Liam laugh, she feels the beginnings of a connection to the real person he hides within his outward façade of seriousness and calm, and her ability to reach him foreshadows their ultimate success at building a genuine marriage together.

“Her personality is so big, her confidence so solid, […] It’s easy to forget, while she’s here and dressed in designer clothes, overfed at every meal, and basking in sunshine, that her life back home is hard, that she’s barely scraping by. […] and when she returns to Los Angeles, she’ll become that other version of Anna Green, the underemployed one, the one with food insecurity and unpaid bills, the one with responsibilities she’s hinted at but never fully detailed.”

Like Anna, Liam is looking beyond surface appearances to appreciate the authentic person underneath Anna’s façade of calm and well-being. As he learns more about the real Anna, his urge to protect her grows stronger, as does his admiration for her strength. The contrast between the Anna he sees on the island and the one that exists in California emphasizes The Societal Impact of Class Differences.

“If they find evidence of fraud in the five-year window, the clause makes the fulfillment of the trust null and void.”

Liam finally admits to Anna what the loophole is and why it’s so important. This explanation heightens tension in the novel by revealing the stakes of their ruse, and the scene also explains why Liam is so motivated to convince his family that his marriage is real. At every turn, he is keenly aware that if his siblings lose their money, it will be his fault.

“I feel the longing solidify into realization: I want our marriage to be real. Marrying her for student housing was the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done, and it turns out it might have been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Liam feels a moment of clarity, and his realization is a turning point as he becomes more in touch with his emotions thanks to Anna’s influence. This scene exemplifies The Complex Motivations Behind Marriage and injects a moment of irony into the text, for his growing attraction to Anna is the opposite outcome of what Liam expected. He also realizes that if they had fallen in love sooner, his inheritance would be in no danger.

“I don’t want to care what Alex said or what anyone in that tent thinks of me. Would I care what they thought of my clothes or my hair or my job if I saw them on the street? No. They’re just like the people I served at Amir’s café—some of them are good, some of them are awful—none of them are better than me or Vivi or her parents or even Ricky in any of the ways that count.”

In the aftermath of Alex’s revelations about Anna’s background, her thoughts connect with The Societal Impact of Class Differences as well as the difficulty of Preserving Authenticity Amidst Pretense. The only thing that made the Westons respect her was the illusion that she was their societal equal. Now, her realization echoes a line that she quoted from US Weekly earlier in the novel—“Celebrities…they’re just like us!” (5)—but she finds that these flaws are deflating rather than endearing.

“She wanted me to choose myself. Because we both knew—and I did know, deep down, no matter how hard I’d deny it—that no one else in my family would put me first.”

As Liam reflects on his father’s ultimatum, he realizes that Anna’s motivations for urging him to refuse Ray’s demands are altruistic and borne of her love for him. Anna’s values have taught him the true meaning of loyalty, for Anna is not asking him to choose between her and his family, and at this moment, he is finally able to be honest with himself about his own family’s misguided views on loyalty.

“Your grandfather tied the two together with good intentions, and your father with terrible intentions, but in the end it doesn’t matter what the intentions were: It has made everyone in your family devalue love. It has made loyalty and servitude the bargaining chips that keep the money flowing.”

This idea connects with David Green’s assertion that “intent matters” but suggests that good and bad intentions can have the same effect. By connecting love with money, Liam’s grandfather distorted The Complex Motivations Behind Marriage and corrupted the meaning of familial loyalty, despite his good intentions of urging his family members to value genuine connection.