Character Analysis of Evelyn Nesbit
When we are first introduced to Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime, we learn “she had grown up playing in the streets of a Pennsylvania coal town” (Doctorow, 26), and by marrying Thaw, her mother’s “greediest dreams of connived wealth [Evelyn] had surpassed” (22). Historically, we also know that she was only about 16 when she met Stanford White and later married Henry Thaw. So, Evelyn Nesbit has never truly been independent, she has always had some external force controlling her.
Nesbit has grown to appreciate being reliant, which has been greatly determined by her constant subjugation. When Mother’s Younger Brother was following her, she was “not intimidated by his attention but protected.” (46). She has been so mistreated by both White and Thaw that although she loves Mother’s Younger Brother, “she wanted someone who would treat her badly and whom she could treat badly” (89), indicating, she would prefer an abusive relationship to a healthy, boring relationship. Nesbit’s connections with Thaw have also limited her world experience. The press kept following her because Thaw was in jail, so “she tried to live quietly in a small residential hotel” (22), and not explore the city. Thaw still has indirect control over her movements. Only once there is no paparazzi following her does she decide to go to the slums of New York City, where she encounters Tateh and the little girl in the pinafore. Through there, she goes to Goldman’s anarchist meeting, and eventually, Goldman reveals to Nesbit the effects constant repression from society (symbolized as the males in her life) have caused to her body and to her values.
After Thaw is sent to the Mattewawan Hospital for the Criminally Insane, “his lawyers negotiated for his divorce … [and after some back and forth,] the divorce was quietly concluded by the payment to Evelyn of twenty-five thousand” (87). So far, she has used her money for organizations Goldman supports, including Goldman’s anarchist magazine, children with mutilated limbs, and other organizations. This leads me to my final point: Although Evelyn is now finally liberated from White and Thaw, she will continue being unable to think for herself and unfree. She is now a follower of Goldman’s ideas, not deciding for herself what she really believes in. She is just as unambitious now as before, but with a new master.
Nesbit will likely never be comfortable being independent. She will keep moving to the next relationship, using others’ thoughts and opinions as a way to prevent herself from thinking on her own.
Great post! I also was very interested in Evelyn Nesbit as a character. She at first seems to be a one-dimensional, stereotypical hypersexualized female celebrity, but when readers see the effect Emma Goldman has on her, and how she realizes her own reality as being confined by the actions of men, she expands into a very complex character. Sadly, as you point out, her need for validation may never leave her.
ReplyDeleteI think this is definitely true -- so many of Evelyn's decisions have seemingly been made for her. The only time where I think it's ambiguous about whether she's acting on her own or not is when she meets with The Little Girl. She seems to have so much agency and control over when she gets to see her, even if Tateh doesn't completely like it all the time. In that scenario, you could ask, who is putting that idea in her head?
ReplyDeleteI like your analysis about Emma Goldman being just another means to adopt someone else's ideas. It's definitely a pattern we see with Evelyn, and (as I wrote about in my bp) it is a pattern she tries to continue in her interactions with the little girl. Her relationship with MYB is interesting, but I agree with you that in some sense it was too "boring" for her because he wasn't showing his love in the way she was used to.
ReplyDeleteevelyn is entirely an abused character when you start to actually consider her- she had no chance to actually grow up and has been centered around awful people her entire life. her getting together with mothers younger brother made me just about throw my book across the room- but your elaboration of how the whole "she had to cuz he just was so dedicated to her" makes a lot of sense. still an infuriating part of the book. glad you chose to analyize evelyn nesbit- shes defo an overlooked character. but as you said with the whole independance bit- i have no idea how shes gonna end up on her own for at least a little bit (has she been single during a single part of this book??). and the choices she makes of her own free will once she properly seperates from thaw are really interesting.
ReplyDeleteLots of really great points! The idea of Goldman sort of replacing the men in Evelyn's life as a controller was really interesting, and it shed light to a new perspective for me. What stood out to me from that scene was definitely when Goldman unlaced Evelyn's corset, I sensed a lot symbolism there, and it serves as another piece of evidence for your point about the perception of Evelyn- but could Goldman, in doing so, have actually replaced it with her own invisible lacings? Excellent analysis.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really interesting take. Goldman takes pains to liberate her: mentally, by explaining her oppression; physically, by removing her corset; and emotionally, by listening to her. Yet none of it accomplishes anything. She defends Thaw, goes back to her role as a socialite in corsets and gowns, and pretends nothing every happened. This isn't supposed to be a criticism of Evelyn, it's understandable given her circumstances, but she's simply not strong enough to change.
ReplyDelete