Lusitania

In Ragtime, the characters are constantly embarking on their own personal journeys. It is only fitting that Father, the character that had the greatest adventure in the book, would finish his life on yet another journey. Though Father is a fictional character, Doctorow inserts him right into a major historical event, the sinking of the commercial ship, the Lusitania, by a German submarine. Doctorow writes, “Twelve hundred men, women and children, many of whom were American, lost their lives, among them, Father, who was going to London with the first shipments for the War Office and the Admiralty of the grenades, depth charges and puttied nitro that undoubtedly contributed to the monstrous detonations in the hip that preceded its abrupt sinking”(318) Father was never completely happy after he returned home from his arctic journey, and Doctorow’s description of his death does not have the tone of sadness that a character’s death would normally take. The reader feels more for the other casualties described, as the description of Father’s involvement goes straight into the business venture that he was on. It is interesting that Doctorow chose to place Father, along with his armaments, aboard the Lusitania, because, historically, it has been debated whether or not the ship secretly carried ammunition from the US to aid the Allied Powers, as the Germans claimed in justification of their attack. Though there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that the ship did indeed carry armaments, Doctorow uses an interesting literary tactic by taking a historical event with some blurred details and used it to complete one of his character’s stories.

Edelen, Paul. "sinking of RMS Lusitania." In Faue, Elizabeth, and Gary B. Nash, eds. Encyclopedia of American History: The Emergence of Modern America, 1900 to 1928, Revised Edition (Volume VII). New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010.American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
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"Lusitania Docks in New York City." Francis Benjamin Johnston. September 13, 1907. Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. Francis Benjamin Johnston collection. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
ItemID=WE52&iPin=AHI1448&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 16, 2011).

Roberts, Priscilla. "sinking of RMS Lusitania." In Tucker, Spencer C., gen. ed.Encyclopedia of American Military History. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003.American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
ItemID=WE52&iPin=EMHII0219&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 16, 2011).