The depiction of women in Ragtime

 As Ragtime takes place in the early 1900s, Doctorow’s depictions of race and gender are particularly important to pay attention to. Doctorow clearly addresses racial injustices with his depiction of the wealthy Coalhouse and his car, but doesn’t seem to address gender discrimination as blatantly. Whether Doctorow intentionally tried to address sexism and gender relations or not, it is necessary to analyze the depictions of women in Ragtime to better understand Doctorow’s criticisms of this time period. 

Two of the primary women in the novel are Mother and Evelyn Nesbit. The fact that Mother is a fictional character gives Doctorow more freedom to take her story wherever he pleases, and in a way that is most convenient for the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Mother is depicted as weak and submissive to Father. It takes his leaving for her to find agency in her life and independence by reading works of Emma Goldman and of course, being introduced to Sarah’s baby. Although the reader is able to see a stark and feminist shift in Mother’s behavior, I don’t believe this was ultimately Doctorow’s intention. I think the purpose of Mother’s newfound confidence and responsibility more serves to show the fact that Father is losing control and power over his family - to emphasize that the idea of American prosperity actually hurt Father’s American masculinity. Thus, one could argue that Doctorow is painting a feminist storyline here, but it is still focused on ‘the man of the house.’

Evelyn is a stark contrast to Mother in that she is shown as wealthy and high-class, but even then, still airheaded and shallow. Her interactions with the Little Girl give some insight into her more personal motivations as she asserts herself as a ‘Mother’ figure even if Tateh isn’t completely comfortable with that. This is largely due to her privilege as a white woman, but Doctorow uses this part of the story more to show Evelyn’s desperation to be understood and to have a real companion. As Doctorow juxtaposes Evelyn’s scenes with Emma Goldman (where she is often ridiculed) with her scenes with the Little Girl (where Evelyn gets to feel like a hero), the reader can feel Evelyn’s need to be loved whenever she is shot down, portraying her as weak. 

Overall, I don’t believe that Doctorow intends to make a commentary on women’s issues in Ragtime. However, a running theme among his female characters seems to be desperation and a lack of understanding of one’s self. This could be seen as a commentary that “The American Dream” pushes women into a secondary and lost role.