The Gilded Years

At the end of the novel, Ellen Love remarks of Vassar College that “part of us will always be here” (page 372). What is the significance of location in the novel? How do Vassar, Manhattan, and Boston shape Anita and Lottie? In your own experience, are there places that you feel have shaped you in similar ways? Do you think you’d be willing to give up part of who you are to keep those places in your life?

The Gilded Years depicts a time when the attitude towards women’s education and the prioritization of marriage was shifting in the United States. Did anything surprise you about characters’ opinions on these topics? Were they more or less similar to your own feelings or goals than you expected? If so, how?

“It is not an escape. . . .When one passes for a higher purpose, it’s worth it. . . .” (page 50). Do you agree with this sentiment? Why or why not?

At Bessie’s wedding, Anita considers the paths she and her friend have taken given their similar backgrounds, and wonders what her life would be like if she had made different choices. Do you think she would have been happy living a life more like Bessie’s? Why, or why not? How do the decisions they both make impact their friendship? Do you have friends with whom your paths have diverged, or ones who you feel are on a “shared path” (page 168) with you?

In what ways does the revelation that Joseph Southworth is half Japanese differ from or parallel the reaction to the discovery that Anita is not white? Do you think these differences are the result of differing attitudes toward Japanese people and black people? The characters’ class backgrounds? Discuss these and any other factors you think were contributors (e.g. gender, having a white father, etc.).

On page 229, Lottie asserts that “Porter Hamilton was never a goal of mine. . . . I think my ego was crushed and I needed male reassurance. I’m much weaker than you are. No one over voted me the class beauty.” Do you believe her explanation and apology in this scene? Why or why not?

Did you notice any foreshadowing of Lottie’s betrayal? In retrospect, what moments hint at Lottie’s eventual actions? Alternately, what moments led you to believe she wouldn’t turn on Anita?

Anita reflects that Lottie has seemed “the most modern of women” (page 319). What does it mean to be “modern” in 1897? Does the same idea hold true today? In your own experiences, have you come across someone who espouses modern ideas but balks when confronted with situations that veer from tradition? Do you think Lottie was more concerned about Anita’s identity or her own reputation? Why?

Why do you think that Anita and her husband Andrew ultimately decided to pass as white again in New York and raise their children that way? Do you think it affected their relationships with their families? Should it have?

Many characters, such as William and Bessie, suggest to Anita that she has a duty to the black community as an intelligent and educated woman, and that her Vassar education will help her be a figure of progress. Did you agree that she owes something to the community she was raised in? Why or why not?

Lottie quips, “The faces in New York change, but the last names seldom do” (page 209). The notion of legacy figures prominently throughout the novel, from Vassar’s Society of the Granddaughters and wealthy family names, to Lottie’s fear of being forgotten. What does legacy mean to you? What is the significance of legacy in the novel?

We see only a brief glimpse of Anita’s daughter Ellen as she also passes for white at Vassar. Do you think this experience was easier for her because her family also passed? What challenges might have been different or similar to her mother’s situation? Were you surprised that Anita allowed her daughter to attend the school?

If you haven’t already, read the Afterword from Karin Tanabe about her research on the real Anita Hemmings. Are there any distinctions between the true story and the novel that struck you? Why do you think Tanabe made the changes she made?