Ragtime

by

E. L. Doctorow

Ragtime: Chapter 13 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
The interurban streetcar lines are but one expression of the early-century mania for the tracks which crisscross and connect the young country via all types of large and small trains. In New York, trains even run underground, and around this time, the city is digging a tunnel under the East River to extend the subway into Brooklyn. The work is hard and dangerous, but New Yorkers have extreme respect for the so-called “sandhogs” who do it. “Blowouts”—when the compressed air pumped into the tunnel so the workers can breathe encounters a weak spot in the tunnel roof—are common. One particularly violent one sucks four sandhogs through twenty feet of riverbed and sends them hurtling into the sky on a geyser of water. Only one survives.
The interstate journey of Tateh and Little Girl also allows the book to reflect more broadly on the social and technological changes underway at the turn of the century. As it describes here, these are years of enormous advancement. But progress isn’t without peril. And the peril isn’t shared equally. Notably, New Yorkers may celebrate the sandhogs, but their respect doesn’t translate into better or safer working conditions for these men who are risking their lives.
Themes
The American Dream Theme Icon
Social Inequities Theme Icon
Quotes
Hearing about the catastrophe—and the survivor—inspires Harry Houdini, who rushes to Belleview Hospital and insinuates himself into the suffering sandhog’s hospital room. The man—an Eastern European immigrant—lies in traction, covered from head to foot in casts and bandages. Houdini introduces himself. He expresses his respect for what the man achieved, which easily outclasses any escape Houdini has invented on his own. He wants to know how it felt and how the man did it. He offers money for the secret. The injured sandhog can only groan. Two of his relatives gently but firmly pick Houdini up and escort him from the room. Although he could, Houdini chooses not to resist them.
Readers should also note how it’s once again the poorest and least advantaged members of society—more recent first- and second-generation immigrants—who bear the brunt of the danger and labor while the elites who fund their projects enjoy the comfort and convenience of a subway connection between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Harry Houdini shows a startling lack of empathy here for the sandhog or his family. Driven by his desire to be accepted within the elite realms of society, he's incapable of seeing the man’s suffering as the tragic accident it is rather than as an impressive public performance.
Themes
The American Dream Theme Icon
The Cult of Celebrity Theme Icon
Social Inequities Theme Icon
Humiliated and feeling washed up, Houdini stalks through the streets. He’s frustrated—no matter how inventive his escapes are or how good he is at them, he knows he’s just a performer. He only matters to people when they’re watching his act, but he wants to be unforgettable, a hero. His outdoor escapes become increasingly outrageous, but nothing earns him the enduring fame and respect he desires. He decides to go on a European tour. He books passage on a German ocean liner. His beloved mother sees him off at the pier, waving until she can see him no longer on the crowded deck.
Houdini puts on an act for the enjoyment of his audience, but spontaneous celebrity—the kind the injured sandhog or even Evelyn Nesbit enjoys—seems to him like a surer path to the acceptance he craves. Thus, like Freud before him in Chapter 6, Houdini gives up on the promise of America (at least temporarily) and turns back to Europe.
Themes
The American Dream Theme Icon
The Cult of Celebrity Theme Icon
Quotes
In Germany, Houdini performs to great acclaim in the newspapers, but he still feels unfulfilled. Then he sees a demonstration of a French aircraft, manufactured by a company called Aéroplanes Voisin. He’s enthralled. He buys one and arranges to use a nearby army parade ground as an airstrip. With the help of a Voisin mechanic, he learns how to use the aircraft. When he lifts off the ground for the first time,  Houdini experiences a moment of ecstasy. Soon he's buzzing happily over the German countryside every day. He decides to seek fame as an aviator.
Ironically, as he turns back toward the past, represented by Europe (which is not only his birthplace but the predecessor of American society, too) Houdini also finds himself flying into the future with his newfound love of flying. The Progressive Era was likewise a time of upheaval and surprise. Aviation was in its infancy at the turn of the century (the Wright Brothers’ first successful flight only occurred in 1903).
Themes
Replication and Transformation Theme Icon
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Ragtime PDF
Having attracted the attention of local soldiers—he is using an army parade ground, after all—Houdini begins to teach some of the more eager officers how to fly. One day when he lands, he finds several important-looking cars waiting for him. The Commandant of the local army base asks him to conduct another demonstration flight for the benefit of some visiting, extremely senior members of the German military. And for the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
With  its characteristic irony, the book suggests here that Harry Houdini, American citizen, might have inadvertently played a part in the development of the German Luftstreitkräfte (the German Air Force) which was to play an important role in WWI on the side of the Central Powers, the enemy of many of America’s allies (and ultimately America itself. Regardless of Houdini’s responsibility for inadvertently arming enemies, this moment also reminds readers of what Houdini can’t possibly know, despite the interest German military officials have in bolstering themselves: how near the start of WWI looms.
Themes
Replication and Transformation Theme Icon
Freedom, Human Dignity, and Justice Theme Icon