Tensions of the Times

Throughout Ragtime, author E. L. Doctorow weaves gender tensions into the relationship between Mother and Father. During a time when women were becoming more and more recognized in different aspects of American culture, conservative men were more resistant toward embracing these changes. When Father came back from his voyage, he returned to a house that had begun to change with the fashions of the times, and this change was driven by his wife, whom he seemed to have more control over when he left. And when Mother welcomed Sarah and her son into their home, Father was even more resistant to embrace the idea of housing a black woman and her illegitimate child. With Sarah’s presence came Coalhouse’s drama, and Father was far from happy about that.

We are suffering a tragedy that should not have been ours, he said

to his wife. What in God’s name possessed you on that day? The

county has facilities for indigents. You took her in without sufficient

thought. You victimized us all with your foolish female sentimentality. (210)

With this statement of direct discourse, Father blames Mother for allowing Sarah into their home, which caused the family to become involved in the drama with Coalhouse Walker Jr., whom he blames for Sarah’s death. With Sarah’s death, Father also comes to resent the fact that Mother takes on the responsibility of raising her child. In expressing these strong opinions, Father also blames Mother’s womanhood and her “foolish female sentimentality” for her actions. While this may seem like a radical opinion, Father reflects his times with his seemingly sexist statements.

Throughout the novel Doctorow weaves the different ideologies of the times and combines fiction with history using his unique voice to “break down the wall between the real and the written, between formal fiction and the actual palpable sense of life as it is lived.” He “invents memory”, by twisting the stories of the fictional Coalhouse Walker and the very real J.P. Morgan to create a three dimensional perspective of America in the early 1900s. While Mother and Father may not have existed, their tensions reflect the changing ideologies of times. Doctorow’s depiction of the family gives the reader the sensation of living in the presence of people like J.P. Morgan whose influence is still very present in our country, and whom many would describe as “the most influential financier in this country's history”, and experiencing America during a time of change and struggle.

Elizabeth Huebsch

Sources:

Steinberg, Sally Levitt. "DOCTOROW: INVENTING MEMORY - New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/20/nyregion/doctorow-inventing-memory.html?

pagewanted=1>.

Boyer, Paul S. The Enduring Vision : A History of the American People: . 3rd ed. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath and Co., 1996.

"The Morgan Library & Museum - History of the Morgan." The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, Founded by Pierpont Morgan. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://

www.themorgan.org/about/history.asp>.