"Atque aliquis [inquit]... 'exitus acta probat.' Careat successibus, opto, quisquis ab eventu facta notanda putat!" -Phyllis, written to Demophoon (Ovid, Heroides 2.83-86) Doctorow’s Ragtime is a difficult read because of the many plot points that it strings together so freely. Of these narratives, the most significant is most likely Coalhouse Walker’s transformation from a well-spoken ragtime pianist to a revenge-seeking terrorist. This metamorphosis is outlined by a journey that drags Coalhouse through a corrupt legal system (Doctorow 178, 185) after he encounters the Emerald Isle volunteer firefighting division and his Ford Model T is vandalized by a mob (Doctorow 177). He then resorts to arson, killing 4 random firefighters (Doctorow, 205). Usually, an agitation of this scale isn’t warranted by this background, especially for someone as articulate as Coalhouse, but there are two major points that can semi-rationalize this provoked response: Sarah’s death, and th...
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