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Context A New York City native, Edgar Lawrence Doctorow was born on January 6, 1931. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, and enrolled in Kenyon College, where he received his B.A. with honors in 1952; he soon attended graduate school at Columbia University. Doctorow spent several years in the publishing sector before devoting himself exclusively to writing and teaching. From 1959–1964, he served as senior editor for New American Library and from 1964–1969, as editor in chief of Dial Press. Controversial in content and original in style, Doctorow's work often involves serious philosophical probings and the placement of historical figures in unusual and unpredictable situations and settings and challenge the limits of the literary genres on which he draws. In 1960, he published his first novel, a Western, Welcome to Hard Times, inspired by his employment as a script reader for Columbia Pictures in the late 1950s. Using the traditional form of a Western plot, he created an allegory of good and evil. In his second novel, Big as Life (1966), Doctorow explored the genre of science fiction in a satire set in a future New York. In 1971, Doctorow finally established his position as a major American writer by publishing The Book of Daniel. Inspired by the Atom Spy Trials during the anti-communist fervor of the 1950s, The Book of Daniel was nominated for a National Book Award. Like Doctorow's first three novels, Ragtime enjoyed significant critical success, as evidenced by the fact that Doctorow received the first National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 1976 as well as the Arts and Letters Award for the 1975 novel. In addition, Ragtimealso brought his enormous

commercial and popular success, and later became a movie and a Broadway musical. In 1980, Doctorow published Loon Lake in which he continued his explorations into American history. Loon Lake, set in the Adirondacks, takes places during the Depression and employs a unique perspective on time in which the narration moves not linearly but in concentric circles, and juxtaposes the American dream with a sort of American nightmare. In 1984, Doctorow published his next novel, Lives of the Poets: Six Stories and a Novella. With World's Fair,which received the 1986 National Book Award, Doctorow embarked upon the form of a memoir for the first time. Doctorow published his newest novel, Billy Bathgate, in 1989, which also approaches history from a literary point of view. E.L. Doctorow's work, and Ragtime in particular, expresses his political beliefs as well as the time in which he wrote. Doctorow published Ragtime in 1975, the year in which the Vietnam War came to a close. The 1970s were a time in which many Americans grew disillusioned about both international and domestic issues. In Ragtime, Doctorow does not specifically address the events of his time, but rather lays out his beliefs through the framework of earlier American history. In his rendering of turn-of-the-century America, he expresses his liberal ideology. Some critics have labeled his views "radical Jewish humanism." In his identification with certain oppressed populations such as African Americans and immigrants, he demonstrates compassion and social awareness.

Plot Overview

The novel opens in the year 1902, in the town of New Rochelle, New York, at the house of an upper class family comprised of Mother, Father, and the little boy. Mother's Younger Brother falls in love with the famous beauty Evelyn Nesbit, whose husband Harry Thaw has recently been charged with the murder of her ex- husband, architect Stanford White. Harry Houdini's car breaks in front of the family's house, and he pays them a visit. Father leaves on a trip to the Arctic with the explorer Peary. An immigrant family, consisting of Mameh, Tateh, and the little girl, live in the Lower East Side in utter poverty. Evelyn Nesbit visits the Lower East Side, where she becomes enchanted with Tateh's daughter, and soon her visits become regular. The little girl becomes ill, and Evelyn cares for her. Mother's Younger Brother begins to follow Evelyn everywhere without her knowledge. Tateh, Evelyn Nesbit, and the little girl attend a socialist meeting whose featured speaker, Emma Goldman, criticizes Evelyn for employing her sexuality to gain prominence in capitalistic society. Mother rescues and claims responsibility for a newborn baby she discovers buried alive in her backyard; she soon learns it is the child of a black washwoman named Sarah. Evelyn Nesbit and Mother's Younger Brother start to see a lot of one another. Mother's Younger Brother helps Evelyn search for Tateh and his little girl, but to no avail. Tateh and his daughter happily leave New York City and travel up the Eastern seaboard. Meanwhile, Houdini learns how to fly planes, and performs a demonstration for Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Countess Sophie. Father experiences a feeling of profound isolation upon his return to New Rochelle. Mother's Younger Brother becomes proficient in the use of

bombs. Tateh and his little girl travel to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where there is a strike against the textile mills, and continue to many other cities. In Philadelphia, Tateh finds a novelty store where the owner agrees to buy the movie books Tateh has invented. Tateh decides they will return to Lawrence to settle down. Henry Ford pays a lunch visit to J.P. Morgan and they discuss technology and religion. One afternoon, a black man named Coalhouse Walker stops by their home in New Rochelle, asking to see Sarah, who refuses to see him. After Coalhouse continues to call on her every Sunday, Sarah finally accepts his proposal for marriage. One day Coalhouse Walker is driving to New York when volunteers from the Emerald Isle firehouse bar his path. While Coalhouse seeks help from the police, the volunteers wreck his car. When Coalhouse complains he is arrested. Coalhouse dedicates the funds he originally intended for his wedding toward securing a lawyer. However, he cannot find a lawyer willing to represent him. One night, Sarah leaves the house to attend an event at which Mr. Taft's VicePresident would be present; she wishes to petition the federal government on Coalhouse's behalf. However, the secret service men hit her hard in the chest; she soon grows ill and dies. Coalhouse and his followers cause an explosion at the Emerald Isle firehouse, killing four volunteers. Father and Mother's Younger Brother fight over the situation, and Mother's Younger Brother leaves the household to join Coalhouse and his followers. Mother and Father move to Atlantic City to escape the scrutiny of the townspeople. Willie Conklin also begins to feel a lot of pressure to leave town. Mother and Father meet Tateh in Atlantic City, and the little boy and the little girl soon begin to spend a lot of time together.

Coalhouse and his followers break into the library of J.P. Morgan, who is abroad at the time. The District Attorney Charles S. Whitman calls Coalhouse, who reiterates to him his original demands that they return his vehicle and that Conklin dies for Sarah's death. Booker T. Washington attempts to persuade Coalhouse to end his siege, but soon leaves out of frustration. Father then meets with Coalhouse, and approaches Whitman with his demands, at which point Whitman presents Coalhouse with both his Model T and Willie Conklin. After his followers leave free of punishment, Coalhouse exits Morgan's house, and Father, still inside, hears the firing squad. Police report that Coalhouse had made an attempt at escaping, but he more likely made a slight movement that he knew would cause his death. Mother's Younger Brother, having secured the use of Coalhouse's Model-T, travels all around the country and soon to Mexico, where he joins revolutionary forces and dies about a year later. As tensions in Europe develop, World War I approaches. Morgan travels to Egypt, where he hopes a visit to the pyramids will restore his sense of spirituality. Rather, he cannot sleep and becomes disheartened by his failure to experience what he has expected. Soon his health rapidly deteriorates and he dies. The narrator describes the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Countess Sophie. Father dies aboard the Lusitania, and a year after his death, Tateh and Mother marry each other.

Character List Mother - Mother is part of the upper class family living in New Rochelle. Disappointed by her marriage to Father, she marries Tateh after Father's death. She often feels guilt over her treatment of her brother, referred to in the

novel as Mother's Younger Brother. Throughout the novel she experiences many changes through her care for the child of Coalhouse and Sarah, as well as her newfound awareness of her sexuality. Read an in-depth analysis of Mother.

Father - Father owns a company that manufactures fireworks and other accoutrements of patriotism such as flags and banners. He represents the traditional views held by many turn-of-the-century Americans. After his return from his trip to the Arctic, he feels alienated from his family and his environment; this feeling will never entirely disappear. While he grew up with some wealth in his family, his father later lost this wealth and he had to find his own path of success in business. Read an in-depth analysis of Father.

The little boy - Son of Mother and Father, the little boy is the narrative voice for much of the novel. Precocious, intelligent, observant, and curious, the little boy is constantly learning about the world around him. He forms a close friendship with Tateh's little girl Sha. He represents the next generation of Americans. Harry Houdini - A character stolen from real life, Houdini is a magician and performer who appears intermittently throughout the novel. He is overly dependent on his mother, and suffers greatly after her death. He begins to conduct research on the afterlife and contact with the dead. At the beginning

of the novel, his car breaks down in front of the family's house in New Rochelle, and he meets the little boy, who admires him greatly. Mother's Younger Brother - Idealistic and difficult, Mother's Younger Brother searches for a sense of self throughout the novel. He falls in love with Evelyn Nesbit, and spends some time with her before she leaves him. He becomes embittered and depressed, and soon joins the forces of Coalhouse to fight injustice. Subsequently, he travels all around the United States and then to Mexico, where he becomes involved in several revolutionary campaigns and where he eventually dies. Read an in-depth analysis of Mother's Younger Brother.

Evelyn Nesbit - The real-life figure of Evelyn Nesbit was a symbol of sex and beauty at the turn of the century. She endures the trial of her husband Harry Thaw for the murder of her ex-husband Stanford White. In this novel, she develops an interest in Tateh and his little girl, and attempts to help them escape the poverty of life as an immigrant on the Lower East Side. Harry K. Thaw - Harry Thaw is Evelyn Nesbit's husband and the murderer of her ex-husband and rival, architect Stanford White. Evelyn begins to question his love for her after talking to Emma Goldman about his treatment of her. Stanford White - A famous architect, Stanford White dies at the hands of Harry Thaw. Evelyn believes that she truly loved him. Mameh - Wife of Tateh and mother to Sha, Mameh does not appear in the novel, but other characters allude to her. Having she performs sexual favors

for her boss for money, Tateh disowns her and never sees her again. He later finds out she has died. Tateh - Tateh is a Jewish immigrant from Latvia. In the first part of the novel he lives with his daughter on the Lower East Side, working as a peddler and a silhouette artist. He later leaves with his daughter to travel to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where he becomes a filmmaker. He marries Mother at the end of the novel. Read an in-depth analysis of Tateh.

The little girl - Beautiful Sha is quiet and reserved at the beginning of the novel, but grows more animated and happier when she leaves New York City. She becomes good friends with the little boy. Jacob Riis - Riis is a famous journalist and advocate of the poor who wrote How the Other Half Lives, which exposed life in the tenements. Sigmund Freud - A famous psychiatrist, Freud has a profound affect on ideas about sex and society in America. Emma Goldman - An anarchist and social activist, Emma Goldman appears throughout the novel to challenge other characters' conceptions. Coalhouse Walker - Coalhouse is a ragtime pianist. He is the father of Sarah's child. He becomes militant and violent about his cause by the end of the novel. Read an in-depth analysis of Coalhouse Walker.

Sarah - Sarah mothers a child with Coalhouse and dies attempting to fight for Coalhouse's cause. Henry Ford - Ford invents the concept of the assembly line and makes his fortune through the manufacture of Model-Ts. J.P. Morgan - Morgan is an incredibly wealthy financier with an interest in Egyptian culture, art, and religion. Coalhouse and his followers take over his residence and library in his absence. Willie Conklin - Obnoxious and mean, fire chief Conklin acts hostilely toward Coalhouse, and is soon forced out of New Rochelle. Charles S. Whitman - Whitman is District Attorney of New York and helps to negotiate Coalhouse's evacuation of Morgan's property. Booker T. Washington - Washington is a well-educated and famous orator and black civil rights leader. He believes friendship and cooperation between whites and blacks is essential to the success of blacks in America.

Mother Mother's reactions to her changing environment provide us with important insights into her emotional, psychological, and intellectual processes of change. Her relationship with her husband undergoes a dramatic transformation after his return from the Arctic. After finding the tasks of the family business both simple and somewhat boring, Mother loses the respect she had had for his professional life. Mother's hosting of and caring for Sarah and her baby have also changed her. Although she still feels love for her husband on occasion, it constitutes the old love of friends or family members

rather than the passionate love of lovers. Mother has become an idealistic and creative dreamer, while Father, resistant to change, has remained dull and static. Mother's dissatisfaction with her husband, and in particular the ways in which he fails to satisfy her, foreshadows her subsequent union with Tateh. Mother grows enamored with the concept of the motion picture and the perspective it affords on daily life. Mother's transformations manifest themselves most clearly in her increasing awareness of her own sexuality. Mother and Father have drastically different perspectives on sexuality. While Father seems to experience a profound sense of immorality in deriving pleasure from sex, Mother exalts in her growing awareness of her sexuality.

Father Father's character plays an allegorical role in the novel, as he represents the traditional norms of late nineteenth century America. As such, he finds it difficult to come to terms with the changes he witnesses in the Progressive Era. His feelings of isolation and bewilderment reflect an attitude prevalent among many Americans at this point in history. The reader can often sense that he almost resents these changes in his family as well; such widespread resentment provided the impetus for much of the anti-immigration fervor in the United States. Doctorow provides the reader with some background information of Father's upbringing, essential to an understanding of his thoughts and actions, as well as his psychological makeup and his social views. Although he had been born into an intellectual upper class East Coast family, his own father had squandered their family money as Father finished school and became independent. Doctorow writes, "His flamboyance had produced in his lonely son a personality that was cautious, sober, industrious

and chronically unhappy." In addition, Father's interactions with Willie Conklin emphasize his rigid definitions of class, and his reactions to the baseball team, largely comprised of immigrants, exemplify stereotypes typical of many Americans at the turn of the century. When he attends the ballgame with his son, he can only compare these games, which have many immigrant players, to his own Harvard games twenty years earlier. Doctorow writes, "He was disturbed by his nostalgia. He'd always thought of himself as progressive." Emotionally, Father appears perpetually lost in his attempts to adjust to his changing environment, partly due to his lack of reception to these changes. Doctorow writes of Father, "the immigrant, as in every moment of his life, arriving eternally on the shore of his Self." Implicit in this passage is the narrator's observation that although Father clearly occupies a socio-economic position separate than that of the cast majority of immigrants, his emotional state resembles that of an immigrant. Because he never attains a profound self-knowledge, his social and economic status remain irrelevant, and he appears perpetually lost.

Mother's Younger Brother The story of Mother's Younger Brother and his involvement with Coalhouse has universal relevance. Like many others throughout history, Mother's Younger Brother is a young, idealistic male with little direction in life. However, when he joins Coalhouse's group of revolutionaries, he finally feels as if his life contains a sense of purpose. Doctorow writes, "They believed they were going to die in a spectacular manner. This belief produced in them a dramatic, exalted self-awareness. Younger Brother was totally integrated in their community. He was one of them. He awoke every day into a state of solemn

joy." However, Mother's Younger Brother ultimately meets his death while engaged in such an idealistic battle. In this manner, Doctorow conveys the notion that such a wholehearted commitment may also prove painful for both the young revolutionary himself and those closest to him.

Coalhouse Walker Coalhouse Walker, the black musician and the lover of Sarah, has incredible import to the main themes of the novel. His characterization provides insight into race relations in turn-of-the-century America. Many characters react strongly to his mannerisms, as they believe his social position does not warrant such behavior. Because Coalhouse conducts himself with a sense of pride atypical of African Americans at this point in history, his expectations of how he should be treated repeatedly come into direct conflict with others' expectations of how African Americans should be treated. Coalhouse Walker, then, represents all African Americans who challenge the expectations many whites have of them. However, his character ultimately becomes the quintessential angry black male as he resorts to violence to resolve his feelings toward society.

Tateh An incredibly dynamic character, Tateh begins to challenge his old life and seek a better one about halfway through the novel. He realistically assesses the value of a life such as the one he has had and has shown his daughter, and finds the hardships outweigh the joys. Emotionally, Tateh begins to see the toll life in New York has taken on him. Tateh also experiences a crucial

and meaningful feeling of separation from his previous socio-economic position after reaching the pinnacle of his disillusionment with the American dream. Although earlier in his life, and in his stay in the United States, he has possessed idealism and a sense of promise, he loses hope as his efforts toward social equality consistently fail to reap substantial rewards. He soon demonstrates his entrepreneurial abilities through the sale of the movie books he has designed and exhibits a more profound understanding of how to succeed in a capitalist system

Themes, Motifs, and Symbols Themes THE DIFFICULTY OF ACCEPTING CHANGE

E.L. Doctorow addresses several major societal changes in turn-of-thecentury America in his novel Ragtime. He conveys the effects of t...