Postmodernism & the Sexual Awakening of E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime
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This analysis utilizes both a Postmodernist and Feminist approach to E.L. Doctorow's novel Ragtime in order to provide a social commentary on the hardships of women and minorities in Pre-WWI America. Historically, the patriarchal system has contributed to the sociopolitical oppression of women on an international level. The sexual repression of women, in particular, has lead to a system of hierarchy that has been permanently instilled in society. However, with the turn of the nineteenth century, the dissolution of familial roles for women began taking place. In this analysis, Doctorow's narration of the lives of five different female characters is defined as an illumination of the socioeconomic hardships of women in the height of immigration and labor exploitation within the United States. This historiographical commentary continues by recognizing the inability to acquire liberation from oppression for minority women.