Introduction of the Poem:
The poem entitled “Unclaimed” presents the experience of Indian married couple and the strangers. In the poem, the poet observes that the relationship developed between the two strangers is better than that of the married people. The poet thinks that the two strangers show no hesitation, fear and nervousness in love and sex making whereas there is great hesitation and fear between the married couple. In India, there are still orthodox elements, hence free relationship is not allowed. Mostly the married people have to lead their life under the pressure of orthodox elements.
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| Vikram Seth’s Poem Unclaimed: Summary and Critical Analysis |
Summary of the Poem:
Stanza 1:
To make love with a stranger is the best.
There is no riddle and there is no test.
To lie and love, not aching to make sense
Of this night in the mesh of reference.
To touch, unclaimed by fear of imminent day,
And understand, as only strangers may.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
To make ... best= making love with stranger (female) is certainly different experience. There is ... test = to develop relationship with a strange girl creates no difficulty and hurdle. It is very pleasureful relationship and this kind of relationship is entirely different from that relationship made by traditional system. To lie ... sense= there is no problem when two strangers meet with each other, transact their feelings of love and enjoy sexual intercourse. To touch ... day = the strangers (man and woman or boy and girl) who enjoy sexual intercourse are completely indifferent to the social barriers. They are free from impending danger.
Paraphrase:
The traditional marriages are based on social values and customs. Those who are married through social customs cannot easily mingle with and transact their feelings with each other. They have to find out the opportunity to share their feelings and to derive joy from the physical relationship. Sometimes the couple has to face great difficulty in making adjustment. Due to some social restrictions, they are deprived of the liberty and joy which the strangers get from their relationship which is developed in no delay. When the two strangers meet, they, without making any delay, express their love and enjoy physical intercourse. The strangers at once get ready to share bed with each other . They have no hesitation to perform sexual intercourse. The poet thinks that this is the best relationship which creates no obstacle between the strangers. While coming close, they have to qualify no test. To express love and then to lie in bed for sexual gratification matters nothing. Love and sex both go together; the strangers have greater understanding than those who are traditionally married. The poet thinks that there should be free system of establishing relation. The union of the strangers should be given more importance than the traditional marriage.
Stanza 2:
To feel the beat of foreign heart to heart
Preferring neither to prolong nor part.
To rest within the unknown arms and know
That this is all there is; that this is so.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
To feel ... heart = in Indian traditional marriage, the couple also feels stranger. The husband and wife take time to come close. They seem to be alien for a long time. Preferring ... part = traditionally married couple feels bored after some time, but due to being socially bound, they cannot part with and they have to live longer together. To rest ... arms = the two strangers without marriage get great pleasure when they participate in sexual intercourse. That this is ...is so= there is great pleasure in sex making between two strangers.
Paraphrase:
When the two persons are married according to traditional values and customs, they take a long time to make an understanding. For a long time, after marriage, they cannot understand each other. They remain unknown for each other. There is no sense of love between them. They have no overwhelming emotions and feelings for each other. Even in their sexual intercourse, they cannot derive much pleasure. But when the two strangers without being married, involve in the game of sexual intercourse, they feel immense pleasure. They forget themselves in each other's arms whereas the married couple feels great hesitation in making sex. Though in Indian marriage, the husband and wife are also strangers, they feel difficulty in making love and sex. The poet thinks that, the sex with stranger does not have a cold side. The strangers show great enthusiasm in their bed without feeling ashamed. They do not care for any kind of fear and social barrier.
Critical Analysis of the Poem:
Introduction:
The poem entitled “Unclaimed” presents the experience of Indian married couple and the strangers. In the poem the poet observes that the relationship developed between two strangers is better than that of married people. The poet, after making analytical observation thinks that the two strangers show no hesitancy and nervousness in love and sex making whereas there is great hesitancy, fear and nervousness between the married couple. Due to being orthodox elements, no free relationship is allowed in India. Mostly the married people have to lead their life under social pressure. Though the married people are strangers, they cannot enjoy their life. Their sexual gratification also lacks joy and enthusiasm.
Thought Content:
Those who are married through social customs cannot easily mingle with and transact their feelings with each other. The married people are deprived of the liberty and joy which the strangers get from their relationship. When there is the union of the two strangers, they, without hesitation express their love and enjoy physical intercourse. In poet's opinion this is the best relationship. The strangers have greater understanding than those who are traditionally married. The married people cannot understand each other for a long time. There is no sense of love between them. They have no overwhelming emotions. Even they cannot derive pleasure from their sexual intercourse.
The relationship between the two strangers is the best relationship which gives an immense pleasure to them. The strangers are lost in each other's arms forgetting everything. Fear, hesitation and nervousness do not touch them. When the strangers come across they do not lose opportunity and immediately develop an intimacy whereas the married people, though they are strangers, show an indifferent and cool attitude towards them. They are deprived of pleasure of love and sex making.
Style and Language:
The poem is beautiful and heartbreakingly perfect. It has great simplicity of language. The entire idea flatly stated in the first line is an incredible honest idea. There are some beautiful phrases such as “not aching to make sense / of this night in the mesh of reference” but somehow what comes across is not the (somewhat clunky) cleverness of the words, but the honesty with which Seth speaks of something so pure, so elemental.