He's a 19th Century Man, but He Doesn't Want to Die One
Ragtime consists of many different times in history. We see Father, an explorer who has traveled the world, only to find he doesn't belong, Coalhouse Walker, who represents the changing themes in music, as well as the racial tensions that will escalate years down the line. On top of all of this is the cynical narrator, viewing everything from a view on high, only letting those who represent later ideas speak their own voice. Three completely different themes merge into one book. In this book, Doctorow tries to explore the effects of newer and older sets of ideals being thrust together in one area.
The main theme that the book portrays is early 20th-century Modernism. The book is set in an era where ragtime music is first being developed, the most famous composer of these still being alive while the story takes place. This means that the world is on the crux of a social transformation, which unfortunately comes primarily packaged in a world war. Ragtime represents the beginnings of these ideas as they begin to spread, overtaking the previous 19th century. The main Modernist characters in the story are Houdini and the family, excluding Father, as well as Tateh and his daughter, and Coalhouse Walker. They all are participating in the changes as they progress, and more than the other characters embrace the changes and support them. Coalhouse Walker is a ragtime musician, helping spread this new type of music around. Mother, it is said, has begun to read Emma Goldman and is learning to run things herself and make her own decisions. Tateh represents the traditional 19th century man who has pulled himself up, however it is in the wake of a worker's riot that he participated in, and is the leader of a socialist group. All of them are working to develop society, at the expense of the older characters in the book.
The one who bears the most expense is Father, who has left on a very 19th-century journey, only to find that most would not have cared if he stayed in the 1800's. This is a small group of people who represent the passing generation, being replaced by the new generation. The two main upholders of this idea are Father and JP Morgan. Both have gone out on large expeditions, and from what we hear most recently as of writing this, Father basically grew himself up into the man he was from nothing, an orphan whose father squandered his fortune. The materialistic views and the Gilded Age story invokes the idea that he's of the 19th century. However, we see both characters in a rut, looking out at the world, seeing it change without them. Morgan laments this by saying he has no peers to a bird, and when finally meeting someone he expects to be right in tune with, he is taken aback by the difference of Ford. Father comes back, and after years of feeling old and sad for himself, finally brings up the courage to take his son to a baseball game as well as condemn Coalhouse Walker, whom he mentions just makes him angry by the way he is. According to Ragtime, the 19th century has been left behind.
The last era that is represented by this book is more abstract than the others, which is fine, because that's exactly what is expected. The Postmodern era does have its place in the book, with the narrator being the main handle behind it. Doctorow specifically toys with history, finding plot holes and filling them with the story he has created. Time and again he makes it clear that he can do anything he wants with the story. Multiple times throughout the book, seemingly inexplicable or carefully placed events happen that, as much as he can, avoid the question of "is this real?" Another great example of Postmodernism is the Little Boy. He has a knack for summoning up these random events, and seems to be practically controlling the world. One example even of Father's acceptance for who he has become was initiated by the Boy, seemingly without his knowledge, as when Father goes to tell him that they were going to see a baseball game to boy is surprised that his dad knew exactly what he wanted. This is less a plot device and more almost a way to fit the other two eras together in a way that creates a coherent story.
In short, the book Ragtime has combined these three different eras in a way that reflect the changing ideas of the time, while also using one as the glue. This allows for a comparison of ideals to be made, and a critique of the ideas of the now previous era of Modernism.
The main theme that the book portrays is early 20th-century Modernism. The book is set in an era where ragtime music is first being developed, the most famous composer of these still being alive while the story takes place. This means that the world is on the crux of a social transformation, which unfortunately comes primarily packaged in a world war. Ragtime represents the beginnings of these ideas as they begin to spread, overtaking the previous 19th century. The main Modernist characters in the story are Houdini and the family, excluding Father, as well as Tateh and his daughter, and Coalhouse Walker. They all are participating in the changes as they progress, and more than the other characters embrace the changes and support them. Coalhouse Walker is a ragtime musician, helping spread this new type of music around. Mother, it is said, has begun to read Emma Goldman and is learning to run things herself and make her own decisions. Tateh represents the traditional 19th century man who has pulled himself up, however it is in the wake of a worker's riot that he participated in, and is the leader of a socialist group. All of them are working to develop society, at the expense of the older characters in the book.
The one who bears the most expense is Father, who has left on a very 19th-century journey, only to find that most would not have cared if he stayed in the 1800's. This is a small group of people who represent the passing generation, being replaced by the new generation. The two main upholders of this idea are Father and JP Morgan. Both have gone out on large expeditions, and from what we hear most recently as of writing this, Father basically grew himself up into the man he was from nothing, an orphan whose father squandered his fortune. The materialistic views and the Gilded Age story invokes the idea that he's of the 19th century. However, we see both characters in a rut, looking out at the world, seeing it change without them. Morgan laments this by saying he has no peers to a bird, and when finally meeting someone he expects to be right in tune with, he is taken aback by the difference of Ford. Father comes back, and after years of feeling old and sad for himself, finally brings up the courage to take his son to a baseball game as well as condemn Coalhouse Walker, whom he mentions just makes him angry by the way he is. According to Ragtime, the 19th century has been left behind.
The last era that is represented by this book is more abstract than the others, which is fine, because that's exactly what is expected. The Postmodern era does have its place in the book, with the narrator being the main handle behind it. Doctorow specifically toys with history, finding plot holes and filling them with the story he has created. Time and again he makes it clear that he can do anything he wants with the story. Multiple times throughout the book, seemingly inexplicable or carefully placed events happen that, as much as he can, avoid the question of "is this real?" Another great example of Postmodernism is the Little Boy. He has a knack for summoning up these random events, and seems to be practically controlling the world. One example even of Father's acceptance for who he has become was initiated by the Boy, seemingly without his knowledge, as when Father goes to tell him that they were going to see a baseball game to boy is surprised that his dad knew exactly what he wanted. This is less a plot device and more almost a way to fit the other two eras together in a way that creates a coherent story.
In short, the book Ragtime has combined these three different eras in a way that reflect the changing ideas of the time, while also using one as the glue. This allows for a comparison of ideals to be made, and a critique of the ideas of the now previous era of Modernism.
I like how you described the clash between the early 20th century characters and those of the late 19th century because their conflicts are central to most of the events in the novel. I think that Doctorow purposely chose this era because this era was a major turning point in American and world history because it was the leadup to WWI and if things had happened differently who knows what type of world we would live in now. I honestly wonder how someone would write about our current political situation today 60 years from now.
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