Evelyn, Mother, Emma
Ragtime has a very diverse cast of female characters, something I was surprised to encounter in an older book written by a male author, about even older times. Here, I want to focus on Evelyn Nesbit, Mother, and Emma Goldman. At first glance, each woman falls into some category of gender roles -- Evelyn as the provocative 'sex goddess,' Mother as the hardworking domestic housewife, and Emma as the radical, almost crazy feminist (I feel like plenty back then would have written her off as a 'feminazi,' in today's words). However, these ladies' stories are developed into multi-dimensional impressions of some very human, and very interesting women. They play into gender stereotypes, but their characters also fight against those stereotypes with their self-awareness that, somehow, is always tied to Emma Goldman. Evelyn Nesbit is certainly a character. She's at the center of countless scandals -- assault, adultery, murder, even practically prostitution (Thaw give...