emma goldman is an element of satire, i will die on this hill

 before I get into this- yes I am aware I have already posted for this time's blog post. (Extra credit..?) However, I am bored and writing this allows me the air of productivity while still procrastinating on the homework I should be working on this weekend. Aha. Alas, never could be a better time to rant about how much I hate Ragtime and subsequently the author. 

Quick CW for this post! By no means is it incredibly explicit, but I will describing explicit themes that are described in the novel. This includes mention of rape and pedophellia. 

On today's topic: Emma Goldman. By far my favorite character in the book-- up until she sympathized with mother's younger brother. (perhaps a list of opinions on the book's characters next blog post?) Recently in class we have discussed her role in the book, because it is certainly not like the other characters. However, it is. And I'm here to prove it. 

First and foremost, to introduce the context. Emma Goldman, as we all know, is a middle-aged (?) woman who is also a prominent anarchist. An absolute girlboss, if you will. Her introduction in the socialist/anarchist convention is of a violent short woman who doesn't care about the police. She's utterly unconcerned by societal conventions, including her lack of fear towards the cops that are raiding the space. She sees Evelyn Nesbit in the crowd, and then takes her to her home to have a nice chat. Unlike the other historical characters, she isn't manipulated nearly enough to be really noticeable. This allows her to come off as a voice... an over-layered theme throughout the novel. This my friends- is a voice of irony. She is certainly not played off as a voice of reason- and though her depiction is very different from the puppeteer actions of the other historical characters, she is by no means a role model of this book. 

The context of the book and its gross appropriations of inappropriate scenes. Do recall the description of "baker's glaze" on Nesbit's thighs after waking up after being raped. There's most definitely a positive connotation with baker's glaze. I wouldn't use it to describe the after-effects of a rape, as it of course minimizes it. Also, recall the instance where Evelyn bathes the little girl. E.L. Doctorow- since when was it necessary to outright describe someone washing a young girl's private areas? The entire thing reeks of pedophelia- either through Evelyn or through the author. Regardless, there are plenty more instances throughout the novel where it describes certain aspects with incredibly inappropriate (to the situation, though it would also be considered inappropriate elsewhere) phrase. Definitely enough to make one uncomfortable- or to get at least an "off" feeling from it. 

And now the context of the scene. Reread chapter 8 of Ragtime if you are unfamiliar. Once Goldman and Nesbit reach Goldman's home, an interesting scene occurs. They are presumed to be alone. They are not. Mother's younger brother lurks in the closet like the pervert he is. Emma Goldman promptly launches into a speech where she describes Nesbit's prior relationships as the abusive situations they were. She then describes marriage as a trap, how she only engages in relationships with partners she loves strongly, people who love her back just as much. The entire speech is very much about sexuality. Then, a very strongly fetishized scene occurs between Nesbit and Goldman- where Goldman massages Evelyn. The two-ish pages where this occurs is very much a nsfw scene, that's all I'll say about it. Let's not forget the context- as mother's younger brother is hiding in the closet while this is happening... and i getting rather aroused. 

You see on the last page of the chapter that mother's younger brother had been getting off to the image of Evelyn Nesbit and Emma Goldman doing whatever the heck this scene wrote them to do. Quite literally, Evelyn Nesbit has been written further promoting that idea of her being a sexual object. Emma Goldman's speech is present to promote this irony. 

On the notion of the "voice of reason" presence discussed in class for that set of chapters- I really do not think she is anything of the sort. Emma Goldman is portrayed as violent, a radical mindset. While she can now be considered an absolute girlboss, she is most definitely not portrayed in the same light in this book. The author's viewpoint certainly does not reflect "anarchist who is also a radical feminist". It simply does not make sense, nor does it fit within the context of the rest of the novel. Why would the "author's viewpoint" finally peek through jUST to convey Emma Goldman's logic when the rest is soaked in ironic bias. 

If anything- this scene proves that Emma Goldman's presence is not so much as different as the others, still promoting the sense of irony throughout this novel. Evelyn Nesbit does not get a life of happiness, she will forever be an over sexualized woman product of fetishization. 

And with that I conclude.