The scene that takes place in Emma Goldman's home in Chapter 9 was one that I found really interesting, but also a little bit conflicting. To begin with, Emma Goldman gives Evelyn a powerful lecture about liberating herself from the manipulations and abuses of men; of embracing real love and the freedom that comes with it. Great, I thought, it's about time someone sets Evelyn straight (or, maybe not straight, exactly). The best part is that Emma is just so right. Evelyn's worth has, up until this point been defined solely by her relation to powerful men - men who abused her both physically and sexually. Her sexuality has been on constant display for all of America to debate. As such, there's something really empowering in Evelyn experiencing this sexuality with someone who, for once, doesn't view her worth as existing within a restricted domain; someone who doesn't view her beauty as existing within the corset that she wears. The scene is, overall, one which portrays female sexual liberation in a positive light (something we need way more of!!), and to be clear, this fact was not lost on me.
What threw me off though, was an underlying feeling that the interaction was initially a little bit forced. Most of my issues, although they weren't hugely significant, were in the specific wording that Doctorow used. For example, when Emma undresses Evelyn, Doctorow uses the word 'commanded' - "Step out [of her underwear], she commanded" (pg 62). When Emma wants Evelyn to lie down she simply says, "On your stomach" (pg 62). She doesn't ask or suggest or coax - she orders. On the flip side, in describing Evelyn, Doctorow uses the word 'obeyed' multiple times. The idea of 'commanding' someone to take off their clothes, and expecting to be 'obeyed' is one that didn't really bode well with me. Later on, when Emma applies the astringent to Evelyn, Doctorow writes, "Evelyn was squirming and her flesh cringing with each application" (pg 62). Here, Emma doesn't ask Evelyn, or even warn her that she's about to experience actual physical pain. I get that it's all a part of liberating her, but still, the imagery that was evoked in that moment was a little upsetting. I also know that commanding is probably the adjective best used to describe Emma, and part of Doctorow's word choice is just in who Emma is as a character, but combined with the vulnerable position Evelyn had just been in, the power dynamics felt skewed in a way I wasn't entirely comfortable with.
In the end though, Evelyn obviously ends up enjoying the experience, which brought up even more questions for me. Even if Evelyn did feel any discomfort initially, does the fact that she enjoyed it in the end make everything okay? I talked to some other people (people whose opinions, honestly, I trust way more than my own) who didn't read the scene as forced in any way. So maybe I'm reaching or reading too far into things, or maybe I'm just entirely missing the point. Either way, I guess it's something to think about. Also, just a disclaimer, I chose not to talk about the obvious elephant in the room - Mother's Younger Brother - because the violations there seem to me non negotiable (and so disgusting!!!), so if there's anything we can all agree on, I'm sure it's that.
What threw me off though, was an underlying feeling that the interaction was initially a little bit forced. Most of my issues, although they weren't hugely significant, were in the specific wording that Doctorow used. For example, when Emma undresses Evelyn, Doctorow uses the word 'commanded' - "Step out [of her underwear], she commanded" (pg 62). When Emma wants Evelyn to lie down she simply says, "On your stomach" (pg 62). She doesn't ask or suggest or coax - she orders. On the flip side, in describing Evelyn, Doctorow uses the word 'obeyed' multiple times. The idea of 'commanding' someone to take off their clothes, and expecting to be 'obeyed' is one that didn't really bode well with me. Later on, when Emma applies the astringent to Evelyn, Doctorow writes, "Evelyn was squirming and her flesh cringing with each application" (pg 62). Here, Emma doesn't ask Evelyn, or even warn her that she's about to experience actual physical pain. I get that it's all a part of liberating her, but still, the imagery that was evoked in that moment was a little upsetting. I also know that commanding is probably the adjective best used to describe Emma, and part of Doctorow's word choice is just in who Emma is as a character, but combined with the vulnerable position Evelyn had just been in, the power dynamics felt skewed in a way I wasn't entirely comfortable with.
In the end though, Evelyn obviously ends up enjoying the experience, which brought up even more questions for me. Even if Evelyn did feel any discomfort initially, does the fact that she enjoyed it in the end make everything okay? I talked to some other people (people whose opinions, honestly, I trust way more than my own) who didn't read the scene as forced in any way. So maybe I'm reaching or reading too far into things, or maybe I'm just entirely missing the point. Either way, I guess it's something to think about. Also, just a disclaimer, I chose not to talk about the obvious elephant in the room - Mother's Younger Brother - because the violations there seem to me non negotiable (and so disgusting!!!), so if there's anything we can all agree on, I'm sure it's that.
Ragtime was published in 1974, so I wonder if that might be why Doctorow makes the scene between Emma and Evelyn seem forced-- unconsciously or not, perpetuating the predatory lesbian stereotype. On the other hand, the fact that she ends up enjoying it in the end might suggest that Doctorow is making a positive comment about homosexual relationships.
ReplyDeleteThis scene also made me feel a little uncomfortable when I first read it. I understand this liberation of the abuse of men, which, as you said, Evelyn's life prior to this scene was full of, but the language used also made me feel like there was not 100% consent on Evelyn's part, at least not at first. Evelyn, whose life up until then was just a series of skewed power dynamics, does not seem to be in a position at that time to fully take control of the situation. Evelyn enjoying the liberation in the end does change the way I perceive the situation, so in the end I'm not quite sure what to make of this interaction.
ReplyDeleteWe've talked about how we see Emma Goldman as the most moral and agreeable character, and she is often 'right' about things. Your point is interesting in that she really doesn't warn Evelyn at all, and her 'help' could be seen as another form of abuse. What if we get metaphorical and say that the pain and ordering that Emma inflicts and commands with are representational of the society and patriarchy that has been oppressing her sexuality, and she is feeling freer with Goldman's influence?
ReplyDeleteYou raise some good points about Emma's "commanding" of Evelyn, which dovetails with some other discussions of the uneasy nature of consent in some of the scenes in this novel. There is a tone in this Emma/Evelyn worlds-collide scene in which Emma is presented as an elder, something like a potential mentor or maternal figure (which is hilariously ironic, when we consider Goldman's public reputation as a free-love and birth-control advocate and "most dangerous woman in America"!). Her "commands" have a sense of authority, and they fit right alongside the strong authority of her cultural/gender analysis of Evelyn's life up to this point. Evelyn is depicted (with historical accuracy) as being badly used by both men in her life, White and Thaw, and their physical dominance and abuse of her stands in stark contrast to Emma's healing touch. There's an underlying sense that her "commands" will be *good for* Evelyn, like a doctor or physical therapist.
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