The American Audience
Throughout Ragtime , Doctorow tells the history of early 20th century America through a handful of characters. Highlighted in my blogpost are the enigmatic Coalhouse Walker; the Jewish immigrant father, Tateh; and the real-life escape artist, Harry Houdini. It is through these characters that Doctorow not only tells an allegorical narrative of the American dream, but also how to achieve it means to be a spectacle for the eyes of America. Tateh’s story is a clear model of the American Dream. A Jewish immigrant, Tateh suffers through an impoverished life. Tateh leads him and his daughter to a better life. Tateh generates his wealth through the creation of movie books, an innovation that captures the attention of America. In earning the right to show his movies to America, Tateh changes part of himself. He stops being a socialist, he changes how he pronounces his name, he gives himself some made up title of a noble (Doctorow 259). Tateh becomes the ideal successful American immigrant, put...