Book Review: ‘Ragtime’ by E.L. Doctorow
The American Dream. We all know it: if you work hard, you’ll live a life of prosperity and happiness. It’s wonderful, it’s magical, it’s bullshit. At least that’s what E.L. Doctorow says in his award-winning book Ragtime. In Ragtime, we meet a variety of characters from all different walks of life. They’re all doing their best to live the American Dream, but it doesn’t seem to be working out that well for most of them. Tragedy dogs them all, and the promise of a better tomorrow goes down in flames of loss and depression.
[Warning: My review of Ragtime contains some spoilers!]
Ragtime inspired me to read Ragtime
Ragtime is currently set to be the darling of the Tonys. It is nominated for 11 Tonies, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, and more! With all this acclaim, I was inspired to read the book that Ragtime is based on, also titled Ragtime.
Ragtime (the book, which I will refer to from now on unless otherwise noted) follows three fictional storylines while also weaving in real historical figures (mainly as plot devices, not as important characters). First, we meet Father, the head of the wealthy white family in Ragtime. He is getting ready to head to the North Pole with the famous explorer Peary. Father is emotionally disconnected from his family, but he just accepts that this is how it is supposed to be.
After meeting Father and his family (not a single member is ever given a name beyond their role), we meet Tateh, his wife, and his daughter. They are recent immigrants to America, just trying to find their way in the world. Tateh’s wife is assaulted and abused by her boss, and when Tateh finds out, he disowns her instead of helping her. He then becomes overly protective of his daughter, doing everything he can to keep her from ever falling to sin.
Finally, we meet Sarah. Well, we meet her baby first, a little newborn that she abandoned in Mother’s garden. Luckily, Mother found him and rescued him. Then Sarah was found, and Mother made the drastic decision to take her and her baby in. Sarah is clearly suffering from postpartum depression, but Mother feels for her and takes care of both her and the baby.
Sarah and her baby lead us to Coalhouse Walker, easily the most interesting character of the book. He is a traveling musician and the father of Sarah’s baby. He tracks Sarah down at the family’s house and begins visiting her and the baby. At first, Sarah won’t even see him, but Coalhouse is undeterred and befriends the family in Sarah’s absence. Everything else in the book flows from this unlikely friendship. You see, Coalhouse Walker isn’t a “normal” black person for this time period (dear lord, don’t let anyone get offended by this, it’s history, not me or my opinion). He doesn’t see himself as less than white people. He is always polite, but he doesn’t degrade himself just because a white person is around. This behavior surprises the family, but it enrages many others. One night while driving home from visiting Sarah and the family, Coalhouse runs into some of those others. A group of firefighters are so angry that a black man is driving a car around that they stop him and destroy his car. This one event sets off a series of devastating events that upends the lives of all the other characters. Most of their stories then end in tragedy, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel for a few. What does this say about the American dream? That’s for you to decide.
A disconnected story that leaves you feeling sad
Ragtime is an award-winning story that critics say offers a heartening view of the American dream. But I’ve come to find that award-winning books are usually boring and depressing, and that’s exactly what I’ve found with Ragtime. Far from the gripping story that “one devours in a single sitting” (The New York Times), I had a hard time getting into the story, and it took me days to get through. All of the characters feel like they are removed from the reader. It’s like there’s a wall between you and them, and you just can’t get close to them. The only character that wasn’t like that was Coalhouse Walker. He felt real and alive, while the others felt like clockwork toys just going through motions. Finding out how his story ended was the only reason that I kept reading.
And instead of feeling like the American dream was being celebrated, I felt like it was being discredited. All of the stories end in heartbreak. No one gets to live the life of peace and prosperity that America promises. Sure, you could argue that Mother and Tateh end up alright, but it’s so quick and out of nowhere that it didn’t feel real. It felt like a forced choice because Doctorow realized how very badly everyone else ended up. I just walked away from Ragtime feeling hopeless and sad.
Skip the book, check out the musical
I haven’t seen the musical, but I hear it’s very exciting. It still ends in tragedy and loss, but it keeps you more engaged throughout the storytelling, which probably enhances the overall enjoyment of the story. I know that not all stories can end happily. We have to tell the sad ones, too. But I just don’t like reading books that are depressing the whole way through and end sadly, too. It’s just too much for me, I like hope. Even if things don’t end perfectly, I want to believe that everyone will be okay eventually. Sadly, Ragtime just hits a little too close to the truth about the American dream to end like that.
Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow is available now! Have you read this book yet? Have you seen the musical? Share your thoughts on social media and tag @bsb.insider to continue the conversation!
Ragtime at Lincoln Center Theater: the American mirror that won’t stop reflecting
