The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress

In the seedy world of the novel’s early 20th century New York City politics, women cannot rely on the men in their lives to treat them as independent adults and equals. Upper-class women like Stella Crater are beholden to their husbands, their reputations determined by their husbands’ choices for better or for worse. Working-class women like Maria Simon and Sally Lou Ritz have even less power than their elite counterparts, often vulnerable to both economic and sexual exploitation. As a result, female solidarity becomes their only avenue to personal empowerment and, sometimes, even survival.

Women in the novel tacitly understand their shared vulnerability, leading them to spontaneously help one another in small, relatively mundane ways. For example, when Joe Crater yells at and threatens Maria for catching him in bed with Ritzi, Ritzi sticks up for her, saying, “‘It’s not her fault. She was just doing her job.’ [….] Maria started at the protective note in [the young woman’s] voice” (17). Ritzi’s actions persuade Maria to reciprocate. Though Maria “felt no loyalty to [Crater] and didn’t care to guard his secrets […] there was a depth of sadness in the girl’s hazel eyes that she could not turn from. An unspoken agreement passed between them” (18). Maria will not stay silent to protect Crater’s reputation, but she will for Ritzi’s sake. 

Stella even steps in to persuade Joe to advocate for Jude’s promotion, something both Stella and Maria initially believe will benefit him. When Maria asks about the “back channel” Stella references, Stella says, “‘The political wives, dear. Chances are, I’ll know something before Joe.’ Maria smiled, bright and grateful” (19). Further, Vivian Gordon routinely tries to help Ritzi, though she says, “I didn’t want a roommate, you know [….]. But I’m glad you’re here, Ritz. I really am” (47). She even promises to help Ritzi escape the city after she gets custody of her daughter. In return, Ritzi names her daughter “Vivian” after Vivian gets murdered. 

The women also work together to get Joe Crater killed, a move that would make each of their lives infinitely better. At the party the Craters throw after he becomes a state justice, Ritzi and Maria witness Joe’s dismissal of Stella’s concerns, and they “jumped when Stella’s seething voice broke the silence. Her eyes bored a hole into the office door. ‘I wish he were dead.’ ‘So do I,’ the others answered in unison, their voices little more than a whisper” (287). It is precisely because, in their society, women are viewed as weak and incapable that they believe they’ll be able to pull off the murder. Thus, Stella whispers, “‘We could end this misery […]. We could do it together [….]. Perhaps […] the reason we would get away with it is because no one expects women to do such a thing’” (287-88, emphasis added). 

Men’s behavior throughout the novel emphasizes their underestimation of women. When Crater threatens Maria, he says, “I wonder what would happen to a pretty girl like you if there was no one around to protect her?” (222). When Ritzi threatens to tell the police about Owney’s involvement in Crater’s disappearance, he says, “No one would believe you, Ritz. Say what you want” (237). In short, the only way for women to exert social power is to work together, while the men underestimate them to their own detriment.