Ragtime

A detailed Summary of Ragtime

Up until the late 1900's, the American populace on the whole had assumed a very optimistic view of American history. Glossing over disgraceful events, emphasizing the brighter points in our history, our culture has attempted to ignore the obvious fact that we have had, and still have, our fair share of problems. In Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow unabashedly exposes some of the worst aspects of American life in our more recent history. Doctorow doesn't hold back anything, providing detailed examples of human cruelty and sacrifice, and the evolution of American society. While critiquing American society was not the sole purpose of his novel, Doctorow does expose and examine many issues that people tended to ignore like the impoverished immigrant working class, racism, and feminism. The emphasis Doctorow places on these issues makes it clear that he thought, "...America is a mistake, a gigantic mistake." (33).

The period in American history at the turn of the 20th century is commonly referred as the Gilded Age. This is in reference to the increased size of the lower classes and the emergence of the elite capitalist as a new hegemonic class that possessed riches and power that were practically undreamt of. This era saw a dramatic i

Coalhouse Walker Jr. was a fine gentleman. In his visits to the family's house to speak to Sarah he was courteous and respectful, yet he did not debase himself or sacrifice his pride. It was the very fact that Coalhouse Walker Jr. "seemed to able to transform the customary deferences practiced by his race so that they reflected to his own dignity rather than the recipient's." (134) that unnerved Father, who was accustomed to seeing Negroes in a position of humility. Father was actually worried by his visits, he thought that "There is something reckless about [Coalhouse]. Even Mathew Henson knew his place." (135). The truth is that Coalhouse did not act like he didn't know he was a Negro, he acted as though he were proud of himself and the way he had made his way in the world. Father simply didn't realize that Negroes have pride too, and what he was seeing was not an upstart young black man but a prideful gentleman who knew his designated place in society but chose to ignore it. The true tragedy of this story, as it pertains to racism, is when Coalhouse's car is desecrated and the steps Coalhouse takes to preserve his own pride. I found it extremely satisfying, and depressing at the same time, that so much chaos resulted from the defiance of one man to sacrifice his pride. Coalhouse's story ends the only way it could have in a novel that was exhibiting the negative side of American society, in Coalhouse's death. Yet Doctorow's message is not intended to simply reprimand white people. It is to reprimand American society as a whole, for allowing these events that culminated in the deaths of many good people to occur in the first place.

Perhaps Doctorow did not think of America as a gigantic mistake. The fact that the book ended on a hopeful note, with Mother and Tateh being married, gives the impression that Doctorow still has hope for America. But it is only with the help of people like Mother and Tateh, who incidentally are two of the few main characters still alive at the end of the book, that American society can hope to better itself. The ignorance of people to the poverty of the working class, the racism in an ethnically diverse culture, and the conservative stance of men towards women, are all problems that can be corrected with time and effort. It is to be expected that in a unique society like America problems will arise. Doctorow's novel is more than a simple criticism of the United States, it is a statement of his belief that America can improve itself but there is much that needs to be improved.

Another problem that was plaguing American society was the discriminati

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Approximate Word count = 1764
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels