In his novel, Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow uses celebrities to depict national themes that radiated through common American households in the early 1900s. One celebrity in particular, Harry Houdini, epitomizes the common American man, and Doctorow uses Houdini as a symbol of the American Dream and success. Doctorow describes Houdini’s usual audience through the eyes of young boy, who says “He felt that the circumstances of his family’s life operated against his need to see things and go places. For instance he had conceived an enormous interest in the works and career of Harry Houdini, the escape artist. But he had not been taken to a performance. Houdini was a headliner in the top vaudeville circuits. His audiences were poor people- carriers peddlers, policemen, children. His life was absurd” (6). The little boy was a typical Houdini fan -- an average person who was enraptured in Houdini’s fantastic stunts and ventures. His audiences dreamed of escaping from their impoverished lives, and that was exactly what Houdini did through his magic. His fans were poor Americans stuck in day-to-day life, idolizing Houdini’s ability to rise to the top and quite literally “escape” any situation. Houdini’s audience contributed to his image and act as an escape artist. Many people considered Houdini the “first celebrity.” People followed him because he performed “magic,” and escaped from any bondage or situation he was placed in. The common man in this time, around 1902, was going through economic hardship, having struggled through the Civil War. People were in need of hope and of idols who idealized success and escape from any strain. Houdini astounded audiences everywhere he went because he showed people that escape was possible. He went to Europe to spread his success and image, and learned to fly a plane in an effort to find adventure and self-promote his act. He offered money to anyone who could prove him wrong and prove that people could scientifically communicate with the dead. But no one wanted to counter Houdini. He was an icon, an idol, and the epitome of hope. His celebrity, the beginning of a celebrity culture in America, came at a time when the common man needed to break through and strived to reach the top. And this is why Houdini was so great: because he provided the will and the image of escape and success all at once.
By Marina Vranos
Bibliography:
1. Yellow Magpie: Harry Houdini: The First Celebrity . N.p., 1 Nov. 2010. Web. 4
May 2011. <http://yellowmagpie.com/harry-houdini-about>.
2. "Houdini: His Life and His Art." The Great Houdini. N.p., 2008. Web. 4 May 2011.
<http://www.thegreatharryhoudini.com/ >.
3. Houdini: Europe's Eclipsing Sensation. N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2011.
<http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2010/12/houdini.jpg>.
4. Brownstein, Gabriel. The Man From Beyond: A Novel. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print
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