The Golden Gate: A Novel in Verse

In Vikram Seth’s The Golden Gate (1986), we follow the lives and exploits of a group of young Americans living in the 1980s. Through grapples with sexuality, religion, and nuclear war protests, all are looking for love and meaning in a consumerist culture. There are five main characters: John, his old friends Phil and Janet, Liz and her brother Ed.

The first aspect of the novel you’ll notice is its form of storytelling. The entire novel (including the acknowledgements, dedications and chapter titles) is told in verse form and Seth proves himself to be a master of the craft- providing rhymes and all. While the plotline may be the stuff of soap operas, the verse form gives it a high art feel.

Our story is put in motion by Janet placing a personal ad in the paper for John, and everything snowballs from there- showing how the decisions we make can drastically affect our future. There are ruminations on sexuality vs. religion and sexuality vs. society, which is often quite amusing as Seth uses metafiction to poke fun at censorship.

One particular character is gay and a devout Catholic, and finds himself struggling with his identity and what he sees as a sin against his religion. This subject matter is particularly relevant to the time period; according to Steven Seidman in Social Postmodernism: Beyond Identity Politics “a national gay and lesbian culture existed for the first time in the United States by the mid-1980s,” but was deemed quite reductive because it stressed a hetero/homosexual binary, rather than focusing on individual expression of sexuality.

Another issue explored that’s particular to the 1980s is that of nuclear arms and collective action. Missile accuracy had been improved between the years of 1965-1975 and nuclear war was no longer a distant myth but a real possibility. Throughout the novel there are numerous discussions about this, from disputes between friends to a speech by a priest stressing comradeship.

There’s a definite theme of alienation, seen in how the characters take refuge in pets and how easily friends can lose contact; a timeless theme given the widespread use of the internet and the blossoming information age. Frequent references are made to name-brands, such as Scrabble, chess, and well-known names David Bowie and Michael Jackson- to cement the story in a particular time and give it context and, in a way, to indicate the materialistic nature of this particular society.

The overarching theme is love. Understanding is stressed for, without understanding and compromise, relationships can fall apart- and this is true for many of the characters. Different kinds of love are explored such as love between friends, love between parents and children, and that between lovers.

I found the ending bittersweet. There’s a sense of hope, but I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth due to events unfolding in a way I didn’t entirely expect or want (but, such is life). I particularly liked how the female characters were portrayed; both Liz and Janet are strong and able to stand on their own feet. The subplots are engaging and the characters a mixed bag: I went from liking some, disliking others, vice versa, and back again.

The novel provides an interesting, critical and sometimes humorous look at the yuppie culture of 1980s America, while also incorporating the three main factors of life: birth, love and death.

Sources:

- Nicholson, Linda; Seidman, Steven. Social Postmodernism: Beyond Identity Politics. Great Britain: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
- Wehr, Paul. “Nuclear Pacifism as Collective Action.” Journal of Peace Research, 23, 2 (1986), 103-113.