Emma Goldman is a much less major character in the musical than she is in the novel. In fact, her entire story is practically condensed into a single song, "The Night That Goldman Spoke At Union Square." In this song, we have Emma talking about Lawrence, affecting Tateh and his Little Girl, as well as her interaction with Younger Brother.
Evelyn and Emma don't have the same interaction that they have in the novel. It's only slightly hinted at with the line Emma sings towards Younger Brother, "Masturbates for a vaudeville tart, what a waste of a fiery heart, dear!" In the subsequent lines, we have everything that Emma stands for and everything that she says to people, from Evelyn to Younger Brother to crowds at different meetings.
"Poor young bourgeois! There are things that you've never thought. Come to Emma and you'll be taught, here...People feathered and tarred, my friend. Unions broken, and why for? Children laboring, women still enslaved! Leave your little backyard, my friend. There are causes to die for!"
Emma, as well as some of her friends, refer to Younger Brother as "bourgeois" when he comes to one of her meetings, and Emma gives him words of inspiration. The line "people feathered and tarred, my friend," refers to Ben Reitman's story in one quick measure, and the line "women still enslaved" condenses Emma's whole argument about marriage being bondage into three little words. Lots of things from the novel are alluded to in this song, but never fully fleshed out.
This bridge in the song quickly leads to Younger Brother being inspired, which leads to his later involvement with Coalhouse, and Emma seeing something in him with the line, "I've been waiting for you," which probably alludes to the line in the novel, "Goldman said, 'He reminded me of Czolgosz.'" Chapters about Emma Goldman are condensed into this song, and she becomes less of a character in her own right, but more of a symbol and the catalyst for Younger Brother's later actions.
From Union Square, we move to Lawrence where Tateh is sending his Little Girl off on the train so she can live in safety, avoiding the strike. However, a riot breaks out, and as Tateh curses America, we hear the Little Girl screaming at him, "Tateh, Tateh!" just as she does in the novel. As the music escalates, in time with the train gaining speed, Tateh runs after the train, jumps, and manages to catch on to the railing, which he uses to pull himself over onto the platform with his Little Girl. The Little Girl is crying, and Tateh consoles her with his flip book, the later "movie book" that he created.
As the Little Girl "glides" in the silhouette book, she and Tateh "glide" on and on, from train to train, getting as far away from the pain and trouble as they can. This is interesting, especially considering the part of the song where Tateh sings about his wife, something he very rarely does in musical and novel. The line, "When I am afraid, I imagine your mother. She skates just ahead! Can you see her? She's here!" seems very contrary to the Tateh I know in both media. Tateh is supposed to never speak of his wife, she is dead to him, and yet here he is singing about her in a positive light. Tateh uses his wife as a way to make his Little Girl feel better, and seems to suggest that he still yearns for her, seeing as how she "skates just ahead." It's interesting to note that as Tateh and his Little Girl are "gliding" away from the past, with a vow that they'll "never look back" they are "gliding" towards Tateh's wife. I've never quite known what to make of this part of the song, and still really have no idea.
Instead of Tateh going off and selling his "movie book" to the Franklin Novelty Company, which actually gives the item its name, for twenty-five dollars, Tateh is inspired to sell his creation to the train conducter conductor, who shows interest in it, and he sells it for only one dollar (later two dollars) with a name that he comes up with on the spot. This way, it almost seems like Tateh eases his way into capitilism capitalism almost by accident, whereas in the novel, it's very clear that he's purposefully abandoning socialism. The whole reason for his change is because Tateh cares so deeply for his daughter and wants only the best for her. It's why he is called "Tateh." He is a father, his main purpose in life is to be a father to his Little Girl. She is at the front of his mind when he moves into capitalist society, because he knows that that is the only way they can truly survive and succeed, which has been Tateh's goal all along (there's a song that the novel doesn't cover called "Success" which details Tateh and his Little Girl first coming to America. Tateh's initial hopes and dreams of success, and their fall into poverty on the Lower East Side). They must move on from socialism, and "glide" into capitalism. With this change in idealism, purely for the sake of his daughter, Tateh vows to "never look back", that is to never return to what he and his Little Girl once were: poor, socialist immigrants. And with that, a couple notes from the song "A Shetl Iz Amereke", the song Tateh and his Little Girl sang about how America is their home when they first immigrated, play, enforcing the idea that their days as poor immigrants are done.
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