In nearly every scene of Ragtime, Doctorow makes an effort to convey a message to the reader about American society. One of my favorite scenes to discuss in class was the one where Ford's Model T was first unveiled, and the employees were given exactly 60 seconds to view it before heading back to work. However, the entire book is full of moments with underlying messages about American society in the early 20th century. Further, it is not only full of commentary on issues such as industrialism and class disparities, but the way that Doctorow writes it convinces the reader to arrive to these conclusions all on their own.
In multiple places throughout Ragtime, Doctorow mentions the extreme work conditions in factories and the lack of respect for workers. He chooses not to explicitly say his own thoughts on the matter, but rather pushes the reader to realize it for themselves. In the Model T scene specifically, Doctorow mentions the setup of the factory, how each person focuses on making one small part of the car to maximize efficiency. Ford also seems to view his employees in the same way, as parts of a larger machine. Doctorow purposefully includes certain details, such as the timed minute-long break, to make the reader feel uncomfortable and realize the harshness of the way factory workers were treated at the time. Ford sees his employees in such a detached and apathetic way, and Doctorow chose to set up the scene the way he did in order to persuade his readers to arrive to these same conclusions without needing to say it outright.
In addition to being oblivious to the humanity of his employees, Ford is very calculating, business-focused, and a little (very) anti-Semitic. In the scene with the Model T, and especially with the conversation between Ford and J. P. Morgan, Doctorow clearly has heavy criticisms of these rich, powerful men. However, he seems to describe them in a nonchalant way, with the intention of having the opposite effect and actually calling even more attention to them. For example, when Ford makes an anti-semitic remark in his conversation with Morgan, Doctorow seems to move past it quickly. However, in the casual way that this moment is described, the reader feels the need to call even more attention to that remark and place a greater emphasis on this aspect of Ford's character. Doctorow uses this tactic often, as seen in how he purposefully describes things like child labor and poverty balls in an ironic tone, forcing the reader to really stop and think about these issues that American society was facing at the time.
Every scene in Ragtime seems to have a deeper meaning behind the words on the page. Doctorow purposefully uses ironic language in order to emphasize the problems that people were facing during this time period, especially those affected by race and class disparities.
In multiple places throughout Ragtime, Doctorow mentions the extreme work conditions in factories and the lack of respect for workers. He chooses not to explicitly say his own thoughts on the matter, but rather pushes the reader to realize it for themselves. In the Model T scene specifically, Doctorow mentions the setup of the factory, how each person focuses on making one small part of the car to maximize efficiency. Ford also seems to view his employees in the same way, as parts of a larger machine. Doctorow purposefully includes certain details, such as the timed minute-long break, to make the reader feel uncomfortable and realize the harshness of the way factory workers were treated at the time. Ford sees his employees in such a detached and apathetic way, and Doctorow chose to set up the scene the way he did in order to persuade his readers to arrive to these same conclusions without needing to say it outright.
In addition to being oblivious to the humanity of his employees, Ford is very calculating, business-focused, and a little (very) anti-Semitic. In the scene with the Model T, and especially with the conversation between Ford and J. P. Morgan, Doctorow clearly has heavy criticisms of these rich, powerful men. However, he seems to describe them in a nonchalant way, with the intention of having the opposite effect and actually calling even more attention to them. For example, when Ford makes an anti-semitic remark in his conversation with Morgan, Doctorow seems to move past it quickly. However, in the casual way that this moment is described, the reader feels the need to call even more attention to that remark and place a greater emphasis on this aspect of Ford's character. Doctorow uses this tactic often, as seen in how he purposefully describes things like child labor and poverty balls in an ironic tone, forcing the reader to really stop and think about these issues that American society was facing at the time.
Every scene in Ragtime seems to have a deeper meaning behind the words on the page. Doctorow purposefully uses ironic language in order to emphasize the problems that people were facing during this time period, especially those affected by race and class disparities.
Doctorow's tone was a bit difficult to describe/understand at the beginning of the book. However, as you point out, he definitely uses his detached tone not to suggest that he feels detached towards the issues at hand, but rather to put the reader in a situation in which they have to decide for themselves what they make of the problems that Doctorow brings to light in his novel. At times, it may make readers uncomfortable, however, I think this method is more effective than Doctorow blatantly revealing his perspective.
ReplyDeleteDoctorow does a great job at conveying how he feels about society at the time, without actually saying so. He hides these moments in what is supposedly just an entertaining story. Instead of talking about how he feels uneasy, he describes the scenes with nonchalance and makes us feels uneasy as well.
ReplyDeleteDoctorow's tone was a bit hard to understand at first, but once you get used to it, it makes sense. His nonchalance towards things that I find unsettling makes them even more unsettling. It makes you stop and think. It gives you a perspective on what some people at the time would have actually thought. The though of poverty balls makes me uneasy but then remembering that people thought there was nothing wrong with them makes me even more uneasy. Doctorow's tone actually works well.
ReplyDeleteOne good use of irony in situations like this is the fact that it is very difficult to strike down. If Doctorow were to outright say what he thinks on some of these issues, as has already been mentioned it would take away from his argument, but also it would give critics or even just the readers the room to disagree with him or counter him. However, when displayed as irony, the argument is harder to push back against, as he has been able to deliver his opinion and their reasons in one go, rather than trying to win back the minds of people trying to argue with him.
ReplyDeleteI never previously really thought about how Doctorow skimming over a comment or idea brings it more attention to the reader, but now I think about it it makes sense. Another place that Doctorow does something similar is when Mother takes in Sarah, I feel like it was sudden and out of the blew. I think this tactic also makes the reader imagine themselves as a character, and try to visualize their reaction and how the character would feel.
ReplyDeleteDoctorow definitely makes good use of ironic detachment in his narration. I think if he were telegraphing intense emotions/reactions/ideology, we'd feel a bit "hit over the head" as an audience, and your average postmodern reader, who's leery of narratives being shoved down their throat, would hesitate to connect with the text. Yet somehow him just kinda presenting these facts to us with the casually-worded narration feels even more sneaky? Like he's not even being outright about his biases and emotional responses, he's just manipulating his wording so as to inspire an emotion in his readers without directly showing that emotion in the text. Sometimes, I think Doctorow's parodying "traditional" history as a fiction writer. Like "look at me, I'm doing all the bad historian things (hidden bias, hiding some facts while emphasizing others, uncritically using primary sources as windows into the past) and it led me to this bizarre world that never really existed, so maybe history is sketchy in general"
ReplyDeleteDoctorow's critiques on class and capitalism in Ragtime are possibly my favorite parts about the book. This time period was really formative for the American economy and class system for the next century to follow, is still strongly prevalent today. Doctorow's sarcastic tone when discussing the things like capitalism and Ford's style specifically are very similar to the tone we might adopt today, which I love for a book almost 50 years old.
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