Relationships in Ragtime
On page 35 of Ragtime , Doctorow introduces Freud with the passage, “Of course Freud's immediate reception in America was not auspicious. A few professional alienists understood his importance, but to most of the public he appeared as some kind of German sexologist, an exponent of free love who used big words to talk about dirty things. At least a decade would have to pass before Freud would have his revenge and see his ideas begin to destroy sex in America forever.” When I first read this, I assumed that Freud would become an important character in the story—perhaps he would analyze the characters’ relationships for the readers’ convenience. Instead, Emma Goldman—probably the last person I would expect to find doling out relationship advice to socialites and their jilted ex-lovers—steps in to fill this role. She makes explicit the cynicism towards traditional monogamy that is hinted at throughout the text. When Stanford White is kille...