Perhaps the most dominant theme in The Glass Palace is colonialism. All of the characters, the events, and the countries involved are affected. It is the domineering force that unites westerners, Indians, Burmese, and everyone else. The wide web of the novel is connected by the various strands of colonialism pervade every single sentence.

One of the most obvious ways in which the theme of colonialism impacts the novel is the structure. The division of the narrative into seven distinct parts tallies with important events that  impact nations’ status as colonies and the changing political climate. The first part, for instance, deals with the British invasion of Burma and the exile of the royal family. The second section deals with Rajkumar’s growing business, and how he becomes implicated in the mechanisms of the Empire. The following parts travel to Malaya and Calcutta, providing an insight into other colonial ventures, while the rubber plantation, the arrival of the Second World War, and the eventual fight for Burmese independence occupy the remaining parts. Rather than the lives of the characters, which ebb and flow across the various parts, it is the Empire that dictates the organization of the novel.