Women in the early 1900s were expected be submissive. They should obey their husbands. Women were seen as fragile, weak and in need for protection by men. In Ragtime Emma Goldman challenges the chauvinistic view of women and their role in society.
Evelyn first introduces Emma Goldman when she attends Goldman’s gathering, in which Evelyn expresses that she does not believe in marriage. Goldman says marriage is like slavery for women. She rejects the notion that women are only useful for homemaking and sex. Goldman quickly continued, “the truth is women cannot vote, can’t love who they like, can’t develop their intellect and spirit, they are not able to live a life of spiritual adventure, they don’t have the ability to do that, comrades! Why? Does genius exist only within our wombs or elsewhere? Can’t we write books, do learned scholarship, play music and offer philosophical models that will improve the world? Must our fate be physical?”
Evelyn Nesbit’s beliefs and actions are the exact opposite of Emma Goldman’s. She’s the “first sexual goddess”, the “celebrated female” (P4). Younger brother, for instance, worships her beauty despite never having met her. Mother’s brother, who was younger than her, loved Evelyn Nesbit. He would think about her constantly. Evelyn’s beauty helps her become a prominent member of society. (P5) Evelyn’s dependence on men was another reason she had to be dependent. She continued to be Stanford White’s mistress after being raped by him at the age of 15. Emma Goldman tells Evelyn that her marriage with Harry K. Thaw resembled prostitution. Goldman told her that you are no more than an intelligent prostitute. Accepted the situation and succeeded. What kind of victory was it? The prostitute’s victory. What have been your consolation? The consolation for men is cynicism. Disdain, contempt, and sarcasm. She will also lie to the court during her husband’s trial, as they pay her to do so. “She had agreed that she would testify on behalf of her husband for a total of $200,000. The price of a divorce for Evelyn was set to be higher. You value propriety like every whore. You are a creature that is a part of capitalism. The ethics of the capitalist system are so corrupted, hypocritical and distorted that your beauty has no more value than gold.
Mother, the Victorian housewife typical, sits in the middle between Emma Goldman’s and Evelyn Nesbit’s. Ragtime begins with the reader getting the impression of her relationship to Father being rocky. “The marriage appeared to flourish during Father’s prolonged absences.” “He was attentive and solemn, as befitted his position. Mother closed her eyelids and placed her hands behind her ears. Father’s sweat fell onto her breasts. She began. She thought: I know that these are happy years. The only thing that lies ahead is great disasters. When he’s away, she takes over the running of Father’s business and discovers that she has more to offer than being a housewife. Mother was now able to speak clearly on such topics as unit cost and inventory. P112 Father, on his return to the home, notices that his wife has become more independent. His wife is now independent and he feels that he no longer needs to be there. Everything has been going smoothly. Mother curled him up against her back and cradled his strange coldness. E.L. Doctorow mentions Mother’s reading of Goldman’s novel. “He found a pamphlet that dealt with family limitation, and its author was Emma Goldman. The anarchist revolutionary.” She becomes sexually aware and realizes that she doesn’t love Father anymore. This feeling was probably there all along but not recognized. “…she could not believe that she thought that, but she did. She condemned him as an idiot. When he left, she wondered why she ever had such a thought.
Emma Goldman’s influence on Evelyn and the other female characters was profound. Evelyn represents all that Goldman is against. Evelyn, a symbol of American sex and beauty, represents male infatuation. Goldman helps her understand the negative implications of her lifestyle. Goldman is responsible for Mother’s changes, because she read Goldman books. Mother represents what Goldman tried to prove from the beginning, namely that women can be independent, can do much more than simply being wives, and can break free of their oppressive relationship. Goldman’s views are crucial to the plot of Ragtime, as they influence Evelyn and Mother, along with society in general.
