Doctorow's Views on Coalhouse Walker

For most of Walker's story, I definitely felt that Doctorow respected the man. He wrote about him with integrity and humbleness, making the reader feel inclined toward the good-mannered Ragtime player who loved Sarah. I felt that Doctorow makes the reader like the old-fashioned ways of Walker's approach to Sarah, and makes the reader feel with Walker when we see the treatment and feelings of Mother and Father's family, as they grow to understand more about him, and eventually respect him more. However, the story takes a turn with the Model T's destruction. Doctorow holds Walker in more of a mysterious manner, and although we take him seriously, we feel more for Sarah. With Walker's refusal to marry Sarah until he gets his car back, and with the spirit of Sarah going down, Doctorow makes us feel like Walker isn't taking care of Sarah the way we want him to, and is too focused on the symbolic injustice of the Model T to give time to Sarah. Especially with Sarah's innocence leading to her death, we are sad to see the two lovers have to break apart. Then with the violence of Walker and his workers, Walker seems more cold. He is sincerely and stubbornly set on getting the injustice done to him known and getting the justice he deserves.
I wouldn't say, however, that Doctorow makes Walker seem like the bad guy. The cause is real, and the civil rights struggle is real. Doctorow respects that and never puts down Walker or makes Walker look dumb and childish to get his car back. Its not just about getting a car back, its about making a point: you can't mistreat the African American community and get away with it. Its a movement that Doctorow respects.
I also wouldn't say though that Doctorow agrees with the more violent tactics of Walker. He makes Walker seem more cold and shady with the interaction of Younger Brother and Walker. It seems that he has lost some emotions. Doctorow doesn't justify the actions of Walker, but shows him in a serious tone in contrast to the more funny and sarcastic tones of the book. He understands the motives of Walker, and acknowledges the injustice. But I don't think he agrees with the violence.
Then again, I'm not so great at reading in between the lines like Doctorow's book requires. What do you guys think?

Comments

  1. CatalinJanuary 26, 2018 at 2:36 PM

    I agree with this point you're making. I think that at the beginning Doctorow was definitely making Coalhouse out to be the good, humble guy, and I also think that even when Coalhouse's character takes a turn for the more radical, Doctorow is still trying to get the reader to sympathize with him. Even though his actions are very radical, Doctorow portrays them in a way that provides justification and therefore never makes him the bad guy.

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  2. SophiaFebruary 7, 2018 at 8:33 PM

    I agree that Doctorow positions Coalhouse as the "good guy" and legitimizes his struggle while also condemning his violent actions. I think that he's also making a larger point about race and society--American society was able to deny justice to someone as upstanding as Coalhouse solely because of his race, and drove him to commit murder and arson when earlier he had seemed to be motivated only by love and hope. Coalhouse does not do what he does because he is violent or wants to take that route--he is left with no other choice.

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  3. SolomiaFebruary 8, 2018 at 12:49 PM

    This post brought up a really great point – that the perception of Coalhouse changes a lot after the vandalism of the Model T and particularly after Sarah’s death. I think Doctorow achieves this colder and more calculating effect by taking us further away from Coalhouse, both in distance, and in narration. Instead of experiencing what he is doing in the living room along with the family, the reader sees that the family read about Coalhouse in the newspaper, or the reader reads the accounts of Coalhouse written by Younger Brother in his diary. The narrative shifts towards a more impersonal description of Coalhouse’s activities, which I think definitely leads the reader to perceive Coalhouse as less amicable.

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  4. Aidan GarrettFebruary 9, 2018 at 3:12 PM

    I agree that Doctorow portrays Coalhouse as the good guy at the start. However, I also think that he continues to portray Coalhouse as the good guy. While he may have gone too far, Doctorow still makes sure to show that he exhausted his other options first.

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