Character Analysis Of Mother's Younger Brother In Ragtime

Finding A Purpose
Finding where you fit in the world can be a challenge. Some of us find our place with ease, while others spend their whole lives searching for a place they can truly be themselves. In Ragtime, we are presented with many characters who face the trials of life as they become themselves. Most of the characters found their way through life over the course of the book. Mother and Tateh ended up together; Evelyn Nesbit helped the little girl have a better life; even Coalhouse Walker Jr. realized his fighting was pointless and it was time to give up, because he had lost everything worth fighting for. There was one character that stood out from the rest throughout the novel, Mother’s Younger Brother. Brother tried to find his purpose …show more content…
Although he was not the only character not given a name, he was the only main character whose name did not symbolize a role in the family, like mother or father. Brother began the story with an infatuation of Evelyn Nesbit. What he thought was love for Evelyn turned out to be his obsession for her and her lifestyle. Brother showed signs of obsession throughout Ragtime. His obsession originated from something else in his life. Brother had never really found his purpose for his life. He started working with Father to make a living and seemed to be stuck in a world that did not suit him. Brother’s desire for Evelyn began with her famed beauty stated in chapter one of Ragtime, “He was desperate to have her.” Brother Believed Evelyn needed her, even though she was more like a celebrity than the average person. Brother is like many people in today’s society that become obsessed with celebrities, he is basically stalking Evelyn around town until he gets his chance to be with her. For example, Brother hides in the closet when Evelyn is getting a massage from Emma Goldman. He masturbates in the closet and then reveals himself to Evelyn. This scene in the book is disturbing and even more disturbing is the fact Evelyn begins an affair with Brother. Brother realizes his purpose in life was not to idealize women when Emma Goldman tells him to get over her and move on with his life. Brother is distraught when he loses Evelyn, like he …show more content…
Brother never seems to have a plan for his life. His life is always guided by the decisions of others. He is obsessed, not only with Evelyn Nesbit and Coalhouse Walker Jr.’s cause, but with having something else bring meaning to his life. Brother’s story is very disappointing. Throughout Ragtime, he makes decisions based off of what others can do for him. Brother is a selfish character and is like a parasite. In the end, Brother never seems happy with his life. He has gone through so much to not have found his purpose for living and that is why he ends up dead by the end of the book. Everything he did seemed great at the time, but they never equaled up to what he was expecting to get out of the decisions he