Blog 7 – Questions for Ragtime

I  have  a question about why Doctorow wrote many characters but some of those don’t even have a very strong connection to each other, which makes me feel the story of the novel a little choppy.

Specifically, the chapters for Ford and Morgan are relatively short. What’s the purpose that Doctorow made them also appear in the novel, which seems there is little significant contribution to the story development.

As far as I see, Ford and Morgan were the most important real figures during 1910s, which they had changed the business situations and living style of Americans. Since Ragtime is a historical fiction, the description of Ford and Morgan gives a background of the social environment in the US at that time. Then Doctorow talked about Ford’s assembly line, this efficient production methods really had a huge impact on the late business practice. In addition, Model T, the Ford’s car, is the start of the shocking and tragic story about Coalhouse.

The difference between Ford and Morgan also shows two different types of poeple. Morgan represents a traditional businessman who came from a wealthy family. Ford represents another group who had “American Dreams” and achieved them through their effort and intelligence.

Overall, I think one reason that Ragtime is worth reading or even studying is not only for its good story development, but more importantly, the deep thinking and historic connections make it more meaningful.