Tateh and Coalhouse Walker in Ragtime
In Ragtime, Tateh and Coalhouse Walker stand apart from the other characters in the book. One reason for this is that they are the only characters who, although fictional, act as historical figures within the bounds of the book. As a result, they bridge the gap between history and fiction by interacting both with the fictional family and with the real historical figures.
Additionally, Tateh and Coalhouse Walker are far less stationary than the other characters. By creating snapshots of the historical characters at specific instances in their lives, Doctorow preserves them in that moment and gives them a static aspect. Doctorow’s narrative on J.P. Morgan, for example, focuses on his obsession with the idea of reincarnation, rather than his ascent to extreme wealth (Doctorow 150). However, Tateh and Coalhouse Walker’s characters undergo change over the course of the book. Doctorow emphasizes the shift in their circumstances and motivations, lending their stories a sense of authenticity.
Although there are a number of similarities between Tateh and Coalhouse, Doctorow ultimately delivers his commentary on American success and the American Dream by contrasting their two narratives. Of the two artists, Tateh exemplifies the American Dream. He starts from poverty and pulls himself up by his bootstraps, turning his art into a successful career and refusing the help he is offered along the way. Even when he is beaten by the police, Tateh lets go of the injustice and searches for his next opportunity (Doctorow 127). Coalhouse Walker, on the other hand, exposes how the idea of the American Dream falls short, a casualty to an unjust system. Despite possessing many of the core elements of the American Dream–being talented, self-made, and following the rags to riches arc–Coalhouse Walker never achieves it. He faces racism and discrimination at the hands of the American justice system and turns to violence to avenge himself. Doctorow places these narratives side-by-side to suggest a paradox. The American Dream can be achieved at the expense of justice and justice can be achieved at the expense of the American Dream.
Great post Bonnie! I had not thought of this story within the context of the "american dream" but now that you wrote this I feel my mind has been opened about this book. When thinking of Tateh and Coalhouse I always put them in separate boxes as their stories are so different. But you are right when you say they are contrasting narrative, both being two artists and both being a part of this idea of the "american dream". Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteHi Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your parallels between Coalhouse and Tateh, and never thought of the relation between justice and the American Dream. One thing that I thought was particularly interesting is how Coalhouse goes from riches to rags and Tateh goes from rags to riches. Maybe Doctorow is commenting on the nature of the rich in the Ragtime era. Great post!
-Bruce
Great article! I agree with Callie, although I had a similar thought that Tateh represented the American Dream however describing Coalhouse as a character where the American Dream falls short is extraordinary. In addition, the idea that Coalhouse and Tateh were the only two to "change" besides from the fully fictional family supports your argument in that the Author wanted these characters to transcend both fiction and history. Overall really good post!!
ReplyDeleteI really like the point you made about Tateh being a symbol of the American dream, whilst Coalhouse is an example of how the American dream falls short at the hands of racism. I also think that Coalhouse as a character does symbolize a lot of the predicaments that many talented black individuals faced, where they were in a way brought to their limit and made to be villains because of injustice.
ReplyDeleteI really like the point of Tateh moving on the from the injustice. It seems weird that the person who leaves his pride and ego to move on is the one 'rewarded' at the end of the book. I think Doctorow definitely has some ironic elements in the way Tateh 'leaves behind' the working class immigrant for his own individual success, while Coalhouse's struggles seem to contain elements of larger racial and class issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea that Doctorow expands on the story of Tateh and Coalhouse. I like the comparison you make to their stories with JP Morgan's story. Doctorow is definitely not a big fan of JP Morgan, and we can see that in the way he doesn't go into detail about his life, unlike Tateh and Coalhouse. I like the connection you make to both characters and the concept of the American Dream. Tateh is the story we think of when we think of the American Dream, and I agree that Coalhouse is an example of how the American Dream falls short. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteWe all get what you mean right away when you say that Coalhouse is "treated as historical" within the novel--all the stuff about how the records of his childhood are incomplete, or how the author has limited information about him. But Tateh is less obvious, and I'm glad you pointed it out: remember the passing references, baffling at the time, about how the Little Boy saves some of his silhouettes (after MYB throws them in the trash, after getting them from Evelyn), and these are now "in private collections." By the end of the book, we understand that Tateh has ostensibly become an early Hollywood filmmaker, and the inventor of animation (!), and the "false document" of the text claims that his artifacts (which don't exist) have been preserved for posterity. This is pretty much exactly the same effect as having Coalhouse's records remain incomplete. And he even blurs with the actual Hal Roach, creator of "Our Gang/Little Rascals." His bio doesn't line up completely, but it's as if Doctorow "borrows" some Hal Roach and injects his biography into parts of Tateh's story. He is "historical" within the novel, even if you can't find any Baron Ashkenazy titles in the film archives.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I agree that Tateh and Coalhouse are prominent characters in the sense that their narratives present radical, dynamic change. However, I disagree with your argument when you say that Tateh and Coalhouse are far less stationary than other characters, as I feel other characters in the book also present similar dynamic narratives. I think Mother's Younger Brother, for example, could fit under this category. While you could make the argument that he stays stationary or the same in his constant search for purpose, I do believe that in this search process, he has shown dynamic growth as a character, from a skinny nobody who's obsessed with Evelyn Nesbit to a passionate revolutionary fighting for a cause.
ReplyDeleteThe contrast between Coalhouse's demise and Tateh's success that you highlighted at the end of your post stood out to me. I think it's very possible that Doctorow uses these opposing narratives as a demonstration of the positive and negative outcomes of American success. On the other hand, I think it's possible that Coalhouse and Tateh are characters that will ultimately experience the same unfortunate end. Perhaps Tateh is the snapshot of the few blissful years accompanied by the advent of success, whereas Coalhouse is a representation of the latter stages of this narrative, where injustice inevitably befalls the formerly prosperous individual.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your argument about Coalhouse and Tateh being the "bridge between history and fiction." I deliberated on whether to talk about Tateh in my blog post, and eventually decided not to because of how uniquely dominant Coalhouse's impact on the flow of history in Ragtime is. However, Tateh definitely had a similar quality of having some characteristics of both the named and unnamed characters. The contrast between the two - rags to riches and riches to rags (in some sense) is very interesting in the context of the facets of American society!
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