Ragtime Summary & Key Insights

E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime is a sprawling, multi-faceted novel set in the United States at the turn of the 20th century, a period of rapid social and technological change. The narrative unfolds through interwoven storylines, eschewing a traditional plot structure in favor of a tapestry of interconnected events.

The story centers around three principal families representing different aspects of American society. The wealthy, white suburban family of Father, Mother, and their son, Younger Brother, embodies the privileged, yet somewhat disillusioned, upper-class. Their seemingly idyllic life is disrupted by the intrusions of the era's major events and by their encounters with outsiders. Their sheltered world is challenged by the arrival of Coalhouse Walker Jr., a dignified African American chauffeur, whose life becomes tragically intertwined with theirs.

Coalhouse, a talented pianist, represents the burgeoning black middle class, struggling for dignity and respect in a deeply racist society. His pursuit of justice after his car is vandalized by a group of white boys spirals into a violent confrontation with authorities, culminating in a siege and the tragic loss of his life and his beloved Evelyn Nesbit's.

The third prominent storyline follows Evelyn Nesbit, a famous model and Ziegfeld Girl, whose glamorous life masks a deep-seated vulnerability and exploitation. Her tragic love affair with Stanford White, a prominent architect, and her subsequent involvement with Harry K. Thaw, results in a sensational murder trial that further highlights the era's social hypocrisy and the exploitation of women.

Running parallel to these central narratives are brief appearances by historical figures like Harry Houdini, Booker T. Washington, and Henry Ford, illustrating the clash between tradition and modernity. Their presence serves to contextualize the fictional characters' experiences within the larger historical landscape.

The overarching themes in Ragtime are numerous and interwoven: the clash between tradition and modernity, the struggle for racial equality, the exploitation of women, the search for identity and meaning in a rapidly changing society, and the limitations and absurdities of social structures. Doctorow employs a fragmented narrative style, mirroring the fragmented nature of American society at the time. The novel is less concerned with a tightly-plotted narrative and more focused on capturing the essence of a period, its contradictions, and its diverse population through the interwoven lives of its fictional and real-life characters. The novel ultimately explores the profound social and cultural transformations of early 20th-century America, leaving the reader with a sense of both the hope and the heartbreak inherent in that era.