![]() ![]() In Ragtime, however, it is just another brick in the wall that Doctorow is building about the entire panorama of that era. It remains one of the most notorious events of the Gilded Age and has provided material for books and movies on its own. Evelyn Nesbit’s husband actually did gun down her lover inside a posh restaurant. Many fascinating incidents take place in Ragtime-more than a few based on actual historical fact. Instead, he chooses to make Tateh just another figure in his vast panorama. Make no mistake: Doctorow could have written an entire novel just about Tateh and his rise to fame in the burgeoning world of a brand new industry called cinema. That names apart from the myriad parade of real life historical figures who populate Ragtime have very little meaning as far as constructing identity or-antithetically-limiting identity is essential for Doctorow and perhaps goes a long way toward explaining why most people would have a hard time calling to mind any character from any Doctorow book who was not based on a real life figure. ![]() Even Coalhouse Walker doesn’t really have a name he is referred to by Coalhouse. Mother is radicalized by Emma Goldman but eventually marries Tateh who has adopted a fake name to lend himself European aristocratic gravity. Younger Brother falls in love with Evelyn Nesbit. Harry Houdini is an escape artist and magician, but Father is the father of the clan at the center. What is most interesting about Walker and Tateh is that they are the only two really and truly important characters in Ragtime who are neither historical persons or saddled with descriptions rather than actual names. Tateh cannot in any way be considered the central figure of Ragtime he just happens to be the most fascinating to many though clearly some would argue in favor of Coalhouse Walker. Dutch Schultz is likewise the key to Doctorow’s setting pitting his thesis that underworld criminal activity is not so very antithetical to government sanctioned ethics and values. Paul Isaacson exists to serve Doctorow’s purpose in re-litigating the Rosenberg spy case. And yet it would be a mistake to say that they are profoundly complex individuals. That is hardly to say that he can’t create memorable ones: Tateh, Dutch Schultz in Billy Bathgate and Paul Isaacson in The Book of Daniel all easily put that idea to bed. As more than one critic who never uses the word synthesist has noted, Doctorow is not a novelist capable of creating deeply complex characters. He takes a thesis, introduces an antithesis and uses his characters to work out a synthesis. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.Īs more than one critic has noted, E.L. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. ![]()
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