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Entry #2 - RAGTIME - E.L. Doctorow

QUESTION #7

How does Doctorow use the characters of J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford to illustrate the differences between wealthy Americans of two different generations? In the novel, are these two men admirable characters? What does J.P. Morgan lack in his life?

I my opinion, the author’s tone regarding these two characters does exemplify some key differences between the wealthy classes of the time, whether from different generations or not, which is made obvious during the two magnates’ first meeting at Morgan’s residence.

During their exchange throughout dinner and the conversations that follow, I felt that J.P. Morgan symbolized the financial savvy banker, always looking for more gains, arrogant, and disconnected from the needs of those around him. In the case of Henry Ford, I felt he was more “true to his roots” and did not wish to change that fact.

Ford’s character in my opinion, provided a picture of the growing generation of entrepreneurs of the time, like Tateh and the owner of the Franklyn Novelty Co., focused on a product that not only provided a needed service for the community, but brought them joy.

Ford took pride in keeping things simple, when it came to his believes, morals, and even the product he chose to develop, whereas Morgan was more of conqueror, the one with the insatiable hunger for more,  money, assets, even longer time on earth, as he pursued his quest to understand the afterlife and reincarnation.

I believe both characters are definitely admirable and flawed of course, which helped me relate to their passion and emotions, although Morgan seems to lack empathy for those below him, from employees, to peers, competitors, to those in the lower class.

QUESTION #10

After reading Ragtime, how would you describe Doctorow's view of the United States and its citizens during the period in which his novel is set?

Based on the setting and theme of this novel, as I understood Doctorow’s views of the country and its citizens is that of unfairness, where the powerful wealthy class, as well as those with a little more political and social power than others, do take advantage and oppress the rest whenever possible, allowing very few opportunities for advancement.

Examples of this are Coalhouse’s incident where race was the motive for act of unfairness and discrimination, and the relationship between Evelyn Nesbit and Harry K. Thaw, where gender and class were the motives. This gives way to an excellent set up for Emma Goldman’s character, which in my opinion is symbolic of the sentiment of the vast majority of citizens found on the opposite side of power, pushing them to organize and protest against this type of treatment.

Whether with real or fictional characters, Doctorow uses historical events and his creativity, in order to convey his message of inequality in America at the time, on an attempt to break the social-economic and racial barriers our citizens found themselves living under, or at least to make them visible to the rest of the world.

Entry #16 - Grant's Farm, MO

Grant's Farm gets its name from U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, who owned and farmed 80 acres of the land alongside a number of slaves he owned in the 1850s after receiving it as a wedding gift from his father-law Frederick Dent who acquire the land in 1821. August Busch of Anheuser-Busch later purchased the land in 1903, where he developed it into a country estate, bringing deer, horses and cattle to the land. Grant's Farm, still owned and operated by Anheuser-Busch, Inc.,

MF Doom!

Entry #12 - "The Swimmer" by John Cheever

John Cheever often wrote about a vanishing way of life in America and the alienation he believed was represented by the new suburban way of life in America. In your view, why might someone find the suburbs alienating as compared to life in a small town or compared to life in a neighborhood of a big city? Have you ever lived in a small town? What sort of comment(s) do you feel the story “The Swimmer” makes about suburban life in 1950’s America?

              Compared to small towns, and based on the context of this story, the suburbs are certainly alienating in the sense of social interactions. In contrast to the warm and receptive ways of most people in small towns, suburbs do lack the sincere care and affection small towns and even city neighborhoods are characterized for. This may not necessarily be because people are innately careless or indifferent to other, but because families tend to become social islands is it may be called that way. Though this might not be the rule, many families residing in American suburbs require high paying jobs in order to help support their lifestyle. This means both, husband and wife are forced or at least expected to go out and work, creating a gap between them, their families, and between families in general. Families in small towns, on the other hand, do keep close relations with at least those surrounding their property, still conducting business transactions among each other, which helps support the financial needs of those involved. Those families do attend the same schools, are part of the same church congregations, and for the most part their children do marry each other, strengthening their social bond and community even further. Cheever comments about a society which has stopped carrying about those who for one reason or another are no longer part of their circle, be it for social or financial reasons, treated with indifference, bashing their names, and pushing them to move away, consequently marginalizing themselves.