The Veil

In The Painted Veil, Kitty speaks to Waddington about the nuns and the possibility of an afterlife. To her, life's importance lies in what comes after life and not what happens throughout it. Waddington disagrees and believes in enjoying life while we are alive instead of hoping for something better to come along with death. He says that man creates beauty out of chaos, and to me this seems as if he is saying that when bad times come along, you really appreciate the good times you've had. Without this contrast, everything would be taken for granted and life would seem boring and uneventful. 

I think the title of this books relates to what Waddington says here in that a life without this juxtaposition clouds your eyes from seeing and appreciating the world around you, like a veil, instead of another world that may or may not exist. Kitty's life had been the same until she moved to Hong Kong, and though her childhood doesn't sound entirely happy she certainly was sheltered. Once she experienced a failed affair and the death of her husband, she finally began to appreciate the people around her and the life she lived. Without any tragedy, nothing would seem special. 

Hong Kong vs Britain

I think in general, when you move to a place so different from what you're used to you have to be open just to live your daily life. You're surrounded by new foods, customs, and people, and "new" is your whole life so you can't shut yourself off to it. 

In The Painted Veil, Kitty is not necessarily an "open" person and doesn't need to be when she moves to Hong Kong. Yes, she is in an entirely new place but there is a community full of people she's used to and customs she knows. A lot of the native people to Hong Kong that I've seen in the novel are of lower positions in this society the British people made for themselves overseas. I don't think Kitty has to be as open as we expect someone to be in that situation, especially since the men she is spending most of her time with are white.