Ragtime's Random Characters
Throughout Ragtime, there are a few historical characters with no connection to the main plot concerning the family. Some of them, like Sigmund Freud and his entourage, appear only for one chapter and do so without interacting with any of the other characters. Others, like Harry Houdini, show up in connection to the main characters once and then go on to have their own side plots that have seemingly no reason for being in the book. This begs the question: why include these characters if they have no relation to the rest of the plot? The answer is simple: they do connect to the plot.
For example, while Freud may not interact directly with the main characters, his trip to America does set up a natural transition into Doctorow talking about the very big wealth division in America at this time, which is a consistent theme of Ragtime. This theme is also reinforced after the appearance of Freud by the following chapter being the one in which Evelyn meets Tateh, which is the biggest side by side example of wealth inequality that we see in this book. Even with this explanation, though, it seems excessive to just be throwing around random historical characters for the sole purpose of setting up a side plot, at least in my opinion. Comments on this point would be appreciated, as I might just be a stickler for books staying mostly on topic.
Secondly, the Harry Houdini side plot also has barely any relation to the rest of the book. Obviously the first chapter is characterized by Houdini's random appearance in the main family's household, but after that the closest he comes to being relevant to the main plot is getting his show interrupted by Coalhouse blowing up the fire station. Houdini's presence in the story is even stranger than Freud's, in my opinion, because Freud appears very briefly to help along the theme of inequality, but Houdini is a rich performer who can and does do whatever he wants, including becoming a skillful airplane pilot. So far he hasn't done anything of significance in the story, even though he was the first historical character in the story. So what's his deal?
Thirdly, Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan and their weird club/cult that were the focus of the book for 3 whole chapters have no relevance to the rest of the story except in the way that Freud related to the story, which is to say the are included to be examples of extreme wealth inequality, although these 2 are slightly more interesting because of Morgan's weird obsession with being a reincarnated savior of humanity (although I do like to imagine Freud and Jung going through the Tunnel of Love).
There are a few more random characters, such as Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, who appear in Ragtime, but those 4 were the ones that were most apparent in the book without having plot significance, so I focused on them. I look forward to seeing if there are more of these characters later in the book, if only to see what outlandish things Doctorow will have them do.
I think one explanation for Doctorow including these random historical figures into the book is that he simply wants to share what is happening in the rest of the world during this time period. They might not have any importance to the plot, but Doctorow has the creative license to include them. The question is now if he should've or not. Would the book be fine fine without these figures? Overall, I liked your analysis of the few historical figures that show up and their relative importance. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi, I also felt that the introduction of random characters, especially Sigmund Freud, felt kind of weird at first, especially considering that there's basically no mention of him after he returns to Vienna. I like that you drew the connect though, that it serves as a good transition to focus on the life on the 'streets' and slums of America. I actually thought Harry Houdini being blended into the story was really fascinating, since not only was a monumental figure in America and the world at the time but he's also this quintessential example of the American Dream working out - however, Doctorow shows us how he feels almost discontented on the inside, pointing to the irony of the idea of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. Overall, good job on this post!
ReplyDeleteI like how you connect the side plots of the novel with the main plot of the novel. In a sense, the side plots are like filler episodes. I do like the side stories with Houdini because they feel like it could be a separate book, but at the same time, they intersect with the main story. Like the time when Houdini met Mother, Father, and the son or when Houdini's performance was interrupted by Coalhouse. I like that your blog discusses the importance of characters who seem less significant than the main characters.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing Ragtime, I have to say, I still don't know why the author decided to include Houdini. He only interacts with the family in the first chapter! The only reasonable explanation for me is comparing Tateh and Houdini, two fellow immigrants, where they seem to have opposite arcs: Tateh achieves the American dream, happy in his work, while Houdini is loosing fame, and feels his work is unmeaningful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for explaining why Freud was in the book! That made no sense to me either!
Y'know I really did forget that sigmund freud exists in this book. But I like your point, and i think this is an interesting point to anaylze. Because really, WHY IS SIGMUND FREUD A CHARACTER???? But I really like your point about how it connects to the ridiculously wealthy etc. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes think of the novel as a collection of stories, ranging from almost irrelevant to very important, that just so happen to interact with each other sometimes. By doing so, I get slightly less confused by all the random characters you mentioned that are seemingly irrelevant. But I'm surprised to see how some of them do in fact connect with the main plot, although I still think they are rather irrelevant.
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