Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow - Essay Example

College 12th grade term paper on the novel Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow It is actually a huge struggle among individuals trying to come to terms with societal change .It takes a whole lot of effort and time for one to adapt and accept this. For constituency of a state or even a whole nation, change may take a decade or possibly centuries due to the great efforts incurred in welcoming this new transformation. Edgar Lawrence Doctorow endorses this debate in his artistic writing. The renowned author grew up in New York City in the 1930s, a breeding ground, a culture clashing together due to the differences in beliefs religions and races. He explicitly explains the impacts of this change to individuals and their way of thinking in his book “Ragtime”. Social, industrial, economic changes are some of the changes the writer address (Harris & Raymond, 51). Doctorow's novel "Ragtime" is a tale based on three families living during the earlier part of the twentieth century with the first family consisting of a father, a mother and their little boy. This family has wealth and lives a first life. It mainly comprises of the whites. The storyline is geared towards references to a real-life story of Evelyn Nesbit whose husband murdered his lover. Throughout this second story, Doctorow introduces the rest of the characters using symbolic names mentioned in real history. These characters symbolize traditions, innovations and invention in technological sector, and the impacts of humanitarian service to the community. Several different stories happen within this one narrative, which ends in the assassination of an archduke and the families being reunited (Doctorow, 43).In his novel “Ragtime”, the author examines the culture clash at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the old, implanted culture found itself exposed to new ideas. They are resilient to these new social conditions but they seem to be odd one out since many people reform for the best. They are lingered and clanged to the past which results into cultural dispute. Social changes The writer points out some instances of social changes evident in his piece of work. He expresses the consequences of these revolutions based on how characters act in response to change. A couple of characters are receptive and adjust to ongoing change, while others are reluctant and find it unfavorable. They find it hard to come to terms with the new ideas to a point of rejecting them with bitterness .E.L Doctorow builds up his characters with regards to mixed reactions portrayed in his novel with hinds on today’s changing world. For instance, Father is flabbergasted by community change he encounters upon his arrival from a trip in the north. He is unable to stand the new standards and regards them as an infringement of tradition. Consequently, he gets so frustrated and depressed that he considers himself an outcast due to psychological trauma. He resents being isolated by family and the entire lifestyle of contemporary world. He feels vulnerable due to his wife and son’s augmented self sufficiency (Doctorow, 63). Conversely, mother is liberated by her exponential aptitude and autonomy. She is molded into an industrious responsible woman by the new era. She resorts to handling family business and helping Sarah with her child, with projects her abilities (pg 113). Finally, she separates herself from social standards which criticized marriages between people of different religions, social class and marries Tateh, a Jewish after moving to Atlantic City and after her husband’s death in a Lusitania (Doctorow, 82).Coalhouse Walker establishes a movement which pushes for the civil rights of the black. The movement uses all means to ensure social justice is achieved by the black. He later passes on in quest for justice, but leaves a legacy of truth about people’s rights and equality to all (Harris & Raymond, 52).Booker T.Washngton, an orator and a renowned civil right leader tries to merge the two races by making them understand that the good relationship established between the whites and black will drastically bring about change in social America. According to the author, sex was regarded by the older generation to be an immoral act especially for the purpose of obtaining pleasure in the early age America. Memeh engages in sexual acts with her boss for pleasure and as a mean of siphoning money for her livelihood. This is a clear indication of sexual revolution transit at that time in history. The romantic relationship between Evelyn Nesbit and Rochles’ family’s younger brother signifies a turn in woman’s sexual likes ranging from chubby men to vibrant youthful men (Harris & Raymond, 55). Mother praises her substantial sexual awareness in the new century. She is disgruntled with her husband, particularly his failure to satisfy her sexually and ends up hooking up with Tateh. E.L Doctorow elaborates more on the issue of victimization as part of social change. On the arrival of the immigrants to New York City, father is disgusted with their piteous faces depicted of crying out for help. They are treated with a lot of insolence by the city residents and the older immigrants, living life full of rejection and segregation. These mistreatments evoke depression among them and a feeling of low esteem. The narrator also talks about the hostile working conditions faced by average workers. The rich enjoy luxurious high quality life. The poor are overexploited and live in abject poverty. Negroes are subjected to social-economic and racial prejudice (Doctorow 49).Out of desperation, Memeh gives sexual favors to her boss in exchange for money. As a result, she is renounced by Tateh (Telgen & Diane, 27). Progressive movement There was a great advancement and evolution in technology in the new era .Industrialization was evident resulting into arrival of many immigrants. Technological growth led to efficiency in service provision and propulsion of mass productivity. Nevertheless, the average American worker was on the receiving. This remarkable advancement in technology rendered their manpower useless .Most low life citizen were retrenchment due to replacements done by the use of machines in service delivery. Henry Ford innovates an assembly line. He them comes up with a proposal that the action of interchanging end products is a nature’s rule, which as a result transforms peoples stereotypic minds towards one another (pg 153). Prejudice was minimized; efforts and goals of individuals were recognized. Doctorow points out the possibilities of technology to weaken human values (Telgen & Diane, 31). Reform is also evident in this excerpt in relation to change. A variety of characters in this novel decide to make reforms to their ways of living for a good course. Mother’s younger brother becomes feed up with the mistreatments of the immigrants and later joins Coalhouse forces to battle for equality.Afterwords; he travels around different places in the USA and the city of Mexico where he gets engaged in different transformational campaigns. He eventually dies while still in the process of fighting for change. Mother also undergoes some transformational reforms manifested in ragtime. She undergoes through a holistic change that shapes her into a woman of substance. She becomes interested in the idea of motion picture and its effect to income generation. She also accommodates Sarah, a black woman and her baby with portrays her reformed character of being caring and human. It was hard for a black person to mingle with the white at the extent of being treated as part of the family. This is a sturdy statement of societal reform from this novel. Mother’s family becomes part of the movement which fights for the revolution of black. Ultimately, she becomes aware of her sexuality of which she has been ignorant about for a long time during the ancient times (Napierkowski, Marie & Deborah, 65).Teteh is also a character who is cited as being receptive to reforms. After a quick rethink about the dimension of his life, he resolves to better ways of income generation through entrepreneurship. He sales designer movie book for the sake of giving his daughter a better life. Symbolism Symbolism is one of the stylistic devices found in literature. It refers to the use of object to bring out a clear meaning to a narrative. The author constantly uses symbolism to back up a literacy thesis in this novel. Many characters including father and Evelyn have been symbolically used to represent certain values and ideas. The father is symbolically used to represent customs and traditions of late nineteenth century America. He is reluctant and static to embrace cultural change which emerged in early twentieth century. He is adamantly stuck in the past in the name of protecting traditional norms. Regardless of his feeling of isolation from the environment and his family, he struggles with the idea of adjusting and staying relevant to the changing social trends. The sluggish response manifested by father shows how ancient people were resistance to change and the slow transition which took a decade. His reactions depicted towards the baseball players who mostly constituted of immigrant are an epitome of discrimination among individuals. He seems disorientated with the turn of historical events since he remains socially, economically irrelevant (Napierkowski, Marie & Deborah, 66). The reader can evidently sense that Evelyn Nesbitt is a symbol the way she is described by the narrator. She is a representation of sexualized female in the latest century America. Doctorow justifiably nicknames her a sex goddess. It symbolizes the rising cases of immorality in the modern world of the United States. The earlier customs did not allow the use of vulgar words for instance referring to an individual as a sex goddess. These practices showcase how the society later transformed and started compromising certain societal value which ought to be adhered to. Evelyn Nesbitt uses her sexual charms to her advantage to gain eminence in the city. Models are proverbially known to use their glamorous and seductive body to gain fame and prestige (Napierkowski, Marie & Deborah, 75). Allusion E.L Doctorow continuously alludes historical events and occurrences that happened in reality and interlinks them with characters created out of fiction. Henry Ford was an American manufacturer and owned Ford Motors Company. He invented the first automobile which average American citizen could afford to purchase. His innovations boosted the transportation sector in the United States bringing about industrial revolution. His success brought him prominence around the globe, being the owner of Ford Motors Company. The writer discusses Henry Ford as a successful entrepreneur who comes up with a technological invention concept of assembly line which spear headed industrialization in America and increased mass production. He also becomes successful in his line of business through Ts model manufacture. This is an allusion because United State is among the well-known countries that are highly industrialized and economically stable, and this is basically due to advancement in technology (Napierkowski, Marie & Deborah, 71). In ancient days of 1900, J.p Morgan was a banker and a humanitarian who was a public figure in corporate finance during his reign. He financed the development of Carnegie Steel Company in 1901which earned him publicity. He also presided over the coalition in banking which came to an end in 1908.The commitment that he had assisted in the transformation of America’s economy.J.P Morgan is described to be a successful economist who has interest in Egyptian cultural practices and their religious orientation. The idea of building a pyramid in Egypt clogs his mind. He helps people around both financially and psychologically and is considered to be the most charitable character in this narrative. Evidently, allusion has perfectly been cited to showcase the contributions of character towards bringing about the idea of change in the society at large. Conclusion Through the main ideas of symbolism and allusion presented in “ragtime” by E.L Doctorow, cultural different instigates clashes among individuals of early twentieth century in the United States. A section of the populace finds it unfavorable to come to terms with change while other utilizes this opportunity to learn new ways to improve their lifestyle and to improve their relationships with other people. Social changes and progressive movement are also the causes of these clashes. Knowing ones rights help unleash the hidden potential which makes someone a better person. He or she becomes conversant with the elements of humanity and ethical values. On the other hand, those individuals who are reluctant remain ignorant and stagnant in the past thus always criticizing the good deeds (Napierkowski, Marie & Deborah, 69). Technology has both positive and negative impacts on the society. It catapults a country economy to greater heights thus bring about stability. However, many average workers often lose their jobs due to the use of automated machines due to advancement in technology. Although embracing change is vital to the society, it can be difficult to quit old ways which one is accustomed to and pick up new ways of life which might take a person such a long time. Change is basically a way of trying out new ways and practices for the sake of finding out if they are favorable to an individual. Shifting from jobs to jobs or relocating to different cities doesn’t bring happiness or the success anticipated. One has to blend in perfectly with the change of environment subjected to which takes considerable amount of time. Cultural change is an extensive progression burdened with many challenges. The loss of identity is one of these challenges. When one is exposed to new cultural practices, he or she starts adapting to new ways of life which might be strenuous at the beginning due to resistance. Cultural collisions certainly will not achieve the yearn for change. The theme of this piece of writing works well with time. Work cited E.l. Doctorow's Ragtime. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2002. Print. Doctorow, E L. Ragtime. Toronto: Bantam Books, 1976. Print. Harris, Raymond. Best-selling Chapters: Chapters from Novels for Teaching Literature and Developing Comprehension. Lincolnwood, Ill: Jamestown Publishers, 1998. Print. Telgen, Diane. Novels for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Novels. Detroit [Mich.: Gale [Research, 1997. Print. Napierkowski, Marie R, and Deborah A. Stanley. Novels for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Crticism on Commonly Studied Novels. Detroit, Mich: Gale, 1999. Internet resource. Doctorow, E L, and Christopher D. Morris. Conversations with E.l. Doctorow. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1999. Print. Novels for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Novels. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 1999. Print. Read More