In the early 1900s, the period in which EL Doctorow's novel Ragtime is set, expectations were that women should be submissive, obedient, and dependent on their husbands. Women were considered weak, fragile and in need of protection from men. In Ragtime, anarchist Emma Goldman challenges the perceived role of women in their chauvinistic society; influencing the lives of characters such as Evelyn Nesbit, a symbol of sex and desire, and Mother, a housewife who begins to find her identity as an independent woman. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Emma Goldman is first introduced to the reader when Evelyn attends Goldman's meeting, where she expresses her disbelief in the institution of marriage. Goldman compares marriage to slavery, saying it is oppressive to women. She challenges the idea that women are only useful for sex and household chores. “The truth is,” Goldman quickly continued, “that women may not vote, they may not love who they want, they may not develop their minds and spirits, they may not dedicate their lives to the spiritual adventure of life, companions may not ! And why? Is our genius only in our womb? Can't we write books, create scholarship, perform music, and provide philosophical models for the betterment of humanity? Must our destiny always be physical?” (P54) Goldman's meeting scene is the beginning of a turning point for the women in the novel, because after her bold ideas about equality are introduced to the reader, we begin to see how the mother drastically changes and how Evelyn comes to realize herself. it's worth it. Evelyn Nesbit is seemingly the opposite of Emma Goldman and her beliefs. She is the “first sex goddess,” a “celebrated beauty” (P4), and represents the sexualized woman in America. Her younger brother, for example, practically adores her for her beauty, even though he has never met her. “The mother's younger brother was in love with Evelyn Nesbit… He thought about her all the time. He desperately wanted to have her. (P5) Evelyn uses her beauty to become a prominent figure in society. “Tonight sits among us one of the most brilliant women in America, a woman forced by this capitalist society to find her genius in the exercise of her sexual attraction.” (P54) Evelyn also depended on men in her life. After being raped at age 15 by Stanford White, she continued to play the role of his lover. Evelyn's marriage to Harry K. Thaw was more akin to prostitution, as Emma Goldman points out to her after her encounter. “After all,” Goldman continued, “you are nothing more than an intelligent prostitute. You accepted the conditions you found yourself in and you triumphed. But what kind of victory was it? The victory of the prostitute. And what were your consolations? The consolations of cynicism, of contempt, of contempt for the human male.” (P56) Another example of her prostitution-like marriage was Evelyn's visit to her husband in prison, where he uses her for sex and then gives her money. She is also willing to lie during her husband's trial, because they pay her to do so. “She had agreed to testify on his behalf for the sum of two hundred thousand dollars. And the price for divorce would have been even higher." (P26) Evelyn is famous for her beauty, loved by men, cannot break away from her husband, and proves Emma's point that marriage can be like slavery. «Because like all whores you appreciate fairness. You are a creature of capitalism, whose ethics are so utterly corrupt and hypocritical that your beauty is not.