A topic that I find quite interesting in relation to Doctorow’s Ragtime is the idea of coming back to life. Not reincarnation, becoming a new person, but resurrection, dying, or partially dying, and then coming back to life. During my panel presentation on Ragtime, I briefly discussed human resurrection and reincarnation, but for now, I would like to focus on human resurrection.
Considering it is Doctorow, it is important to consider that I am not referring to any sort of magical resurrection. Though Doctorow may play with the lines of historical “fact” in Ragtime, to my knowledge he does not attempt to include anything that may have been, or may still be, impossible. Rather, the examples of human resurrection are mostly metaphorical.
The earliest example of metaphorical resurrection is described by the Little Boy on page eight of the novel. The Little Boy describes an occasion where Houdini was “buried alive in a grave and could not escape, and had to be rescued” (7-8). The mere act of being trapped in a coffin and then released is an act of metaphorical resurrection and irony. The only people who go into coffins are dead people (or, I suppose, living people who are buried alive), so the implication is that Houdini goes into the coffin, is in the coffin momentarily metaphorically “dead,” and then is brought out, having been resurrected and returned to life.
A similar act of resurrection happens to Sarah’s child, later named Coalhouse Walker the third. As the Little Boy once more describes, “Mother had dug something up. . . it was an infant” (68-69). Sarah’s child is buried alive (by Sarah herself) and then experiences the same metaphorical death and resurrection as Houdini previously.
The author of my panel presentation article suggested that Sarah’s child also experiences another resurrection: when his mother figure is changed from Sarah to Mother. I would like to further this suggest that Sarah’s child experiences three resurrections: first, when he is pulled from the ground, second, when he switches from being cared for by Sarah to the housekeeper, and third, at the end of the book when טאטע (and the rest of the family) acknowledge the toddler as a part of their dysfunctional (and now mixed race) family.
If you consider the repetition of Houdini and Sarah’s child’s resurrections, one could suggest that Houdini’s described resurrection was merely a foreshadowing of Sarah’s child, and while the Little Boy may be the narrator of the novel, Sarah’s child is what moves it along.
Think about it: the birth and consequent resurrection of Sarah’s child is what moves the plot in the Little Boy’s family, bringing Sarah and then Coalhouse into the household. Without Sarah’s child, Coalhouse never would have met them, and who knows if he would have had his car wrecked and wanted revenge. Similarly, Sarah’s child’s second resurrection is caused by the death of his mother, an event which pushes the plot of the novel further, causing Coalhouse to fall off the edge. Finally, Sarah’s child’s third resurrection is caused by the combination of the families, the conclusion of the story. Each resurrection represents a significant point in the novel without which there would be no plot.
Can you guys think of other examples of human resurrection? I remember Vikram coming up with some good ones in class, but I forgot them. . .
This is such a cool post!! At first I thought it was wack, but you provided ample and compelling evidence. I totally get where you're coming from with the combination of the two families becoming a new resurrection. The start of a new life together as combined families I think is this most important example of resurrection in Ragtime. While there are obvious connections like Sarah's baby, the families joining together really hit home run for me.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of resurrection really fits into the themes of replication and reflection that the little boy seems to be obsessed with, and that characterize that the shift to industrialism, as represented by Ford.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how well it fits the model, but I was thinking of the Little Boy and Little Girl's games on the beach, where they bury one another in the sand (and in the process have fun giving each other exaggerated "adult" characteristics). The "seriousness" of the game stands out in my mind, and the description of the girl holding still and allowing the boy to embed her in sand. The fun of the game has to do with imagining themselves as older people, but also the emergence from the ground and the rush into the ocean to rinse off, which seems like an image of resurrection that particularly mirrors the literal unearthing of Sarah's baby.
ReplyDeleteI would say that Sarah is resurrected as well when she becomes engaged to Coalhouse. It is not a physical resurrection, but her personality and place in the world shift some at that point. I really like the resurrection idea, but you could also use the word 'rebirth' in some situations to describe the same thing, especially Sarah's child's first 'resurrection.'
ReplyDeleteResurrection definitely seems to be a core theme. While it's not quite entirely within the novel, I think that the idea of Coalhouse as a resurrection of an earlier German character, as well as his later resurrection through the Black Panthers, fits in with the broad theme of resurrection within Ragtime. I think that Doctorow is trying to emphasize how nothing is ever really gone- if all of history's narratives are overlaid and equal in value, then it makes sense for characters and concepts to continue returning to life after an initial passing.
ReplyDeleteNice post. I don't know if I understood the second to last paragraph correctly. I kinda see how Sarah's baby is resurrected at the end but I think it's more of a resurrection of the family. But awesome ideas!
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