The Declining Acceptance of Subtle Bigotry in Ragtime
Through Ragtime, characters with more conservative social views, such as Father and Henry Ford, begin to be repeatedly ignored or even rebuked by the other characters when they state their views. Doctorow creates an interesting pattern, depicting an evolving world where it is no longer seen as socially acceptable to be casually racist or anti-semitic. Doctorow describes Father and Ford, especially Father, as decent human beings. These characters offhandedly display their conservative social views, creating awkward situations throughout the book as other characters quietly express their disagreement with bigoted views.
Father has entrenched a very conservative view of African-Americans in his mind: he thinks of them as fine people, but he expects them to be subordinate to Whites. Father’s view of Blacks is best manifested through his interactions with Coalhouse Walker Jr after Coalhouse begins to visit the family’s house to court Sarah. When Father is on the journey to the North Pole with Peary, he has no issue with Matthew Hensen. This is because Matthew Hensen “knows his place”; he does not see himself as on an equal moral and intellectual status as whites. It is Coalhouse Walker Jr.’s very confidence that makes Father so uncomfortable about him. Father notices that Coalhouse “does not realize he is Black,” and does not view Coalhouse in a positive light because of this. He consistently and subtly degrades Coalhouse and does not seem to successfully gauge the unfavorable reactions that surround him. The other members of his household do not share Father’s discomfort with Coalhouse, but rather look to accept him and understand him. Mother is impressed by Coalhouse’s sophistication and confidence, as the same qualities that unnerve Father make him adored by Mother. When Father resists having Coalhouse to tea, Mother understands that this resistance is related to Father’s discomfort with Coalhouse’s race and remarked that the president recently had tea with Booker T. Washington, and supports racial acceptance and equality. Younger Brother also supports Coalhouse. Younger Brother is able to look beyond race and see a personal connection between him and Coalhouse, something Father could never do. Towards the end of the story, Father becomes more and more disgustingly racist towards Coalhouse. Hidden behind his subtle discomforts was a vehement, n-word using, disgusting, racist. And what is he especially enraged about? Coalhouse’s “damnable n***** pride.” It is that Coalhouse is proud and Black. After his tirade, Father is met with fierce resistance from Younger Brother, who calls out Father for the racist man he is. No longer is it the time of widely accepted racism.
Henry Ford meanwhile, known to be extremely anti-semitic, also sees his bigotry meant with resistance. Through the 1800s, antisemitism was pedestrian throughout the US and Europe. Jews could not vote in Great Britain until 1858 and throughout the US until 1877. However, Ford’s style of anti-Semitism is no longer accepted, and he is met with a cool silence from Morgan after he makes an antisemitic comment. Morgan clearly intends Ford to feel uncomfortable after he makes that comment, and although bigots rarely do feel uncomfortable when they are called out, Ford remains silent. Morgan’s response, compared to a laugh or a reaction of agreement, in progress. Jews and Blacks are not remotely considered to be equal members of society, but they are no longer there to be ridiculed and discriminated against with limited response; times are (slightly) changing.
I really agree with this blog post, as Doctorow uses a lot of these (racially-fueled) awkward moments throughout the novel. I found it interesting how you developed Father's views of Matthew Henson and how they relate to his actions towards Coalhouse Walker. It is also interesting to think about how these acts are met with growing resistance. This could reflect how revolutionary ideas (that we consider normal nowadays) were present during this time period, but never really came to fruition until later.
ReplyDeleteAs we discussed in class, the end of the novel is interesting because all of the characters that have a nineteenth-century mindset either die or fade into obscurity. I felt like this is almost as if Doctorow is making the point that they cannot fit into contemporary society - to reflect that times are only slightly changing, but changing enough to exile characters like Father.
I think it's interesting that Doctorow purposely creates these really awkward moments to make the readers realize how racism really impacts others. I agree with you that Doctorow starts creating a bigger and more visible line between the characters who like Coalhouse and those who want to be racist against him. I also think that it was especially notable that Father was racist towards Coalhouse because Coalhouse was seen as one of the "better" black people during that time period. He held himself with manners and pose, something that was direct conflict with the stereotypical image that white people branded on black people.
ReplyDeleteI think you capture this idea really well within this post. Doctorow increasingly makes these situations less and less acceptable by the public and likewise puts the reader in these awkward feeling scenarios. Its as if he takes us along for the ride of moving towards a more progressive world, allowing us to see the change firsthand. We experience the situations where racism is accepted, gradually seeing how more and more people disagree, finally ending with a mixed race family. I think this is a strategic move by Doctorow that allows his readers to feel as if his story progresses naturally, as history would, and makes it seem much more believable.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed this thread when I was reading Ragtime. Every time one of those characters you are left with a bad taste in your mouth, but Doctorow makes the other characters "judge" them, and that makes it a bit better. A lot of the book is focused on how the times ARE changing, but some people aren't willing to, or can't change with the times. On the flip side, some characters are on the fore front fighting for change, ex. Mother's younger brother. Placing him in the same family as the father sharply contrasts the differences between them and stresses the family dynamic in a captivating way as we follow the Coalhouse plot arc. The result is a book that is lots of fun to read with issues that we can relate to and feel our opinions bubbling as we read along.
ReplyDeleteI think one tactic of letting someone know that they said something not okay is by not saying anything. Stopping a conversation gives someone time to reflect on what they just said and Doctorrow does a good job of conveying this. I'd like to believe that Ford thought about what he said and what could be wrong about it when Morgan called him out silently. It really gives the feeling of social progress and advancement.
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