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Chapter 37
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Ragtime, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The American Dream
Replication and Transformation
Freedom, Human Dignity, and Justice
The Cult of Celebrity
Women’s Roles
Social Inequities
Summary
Analysis
Booker T. Washington wastes no time in organizing a protest against Coalhouse by “responsible Negroes” who gather outside the library. It’s ongoing when Father arrives. He is the first person in the command center to appreciate the shift in Coalhouse’s demands. He finds Whitman in the parlor, watching the library through a pair of binoculars. At the same moment, a telegraphed reply from J. P. Morgan finally arrives, directing the authorities to “give [Coalhouse] his [Model T] and hang him.” Whitman is reluctant to give in to Coalhouse’s demands, fearing the political backlash. But Father points out that Coalhouse has a death wish and is unlikely to give in unless if his demands are met.
Despite his good intentions, in a way Washington capitulates to the interests of the elites by protesting Coalhouse and thereby splitting the Black people of New York into two camps, neither of which can fight against oppression, but which might have bad better chances together—just like the Lawrence Mill workers succeeded when they organized across ethnic lines. Likewise, Whitman expresses reluctance about action because no matter which way he goes, he faces backlash from one group or another—from the powerful Morgan for the potential destruction of his library, or from white people generally for giving in to the demands of a Black man.
Themes
And so, Whitman has city workers pull the Model T from Firehouse Pond and bring it to the library. He leans on his political connections to find Conklin. And he deputizes Father to function as negotiator of the final terms, since both Whitman and Coalhouse trust him.
In the end, Whitman capitulates to Coalhouse’s demands, but it’s a somewhat empty victory since he only does it to protect his own reputation and not because he truly believes that the musician has been abused and wronged.
Themes
At dawn, the Model T sits in the street outside the library and a handcuffed Willie Conklin sits inside the temporary command center. Through Father, Whitman promises to press relevant charges against Conklin as well as to see to it that the Chief, in full view of New York City, fixes Coalhouse’s car. Coalhouse agrees to turn himself in, but he negotiates for amnesty for his conspirators. They initially resist the idea of walking away—each one was prepared to die in the service of justice—but eventually his will prevails. Father agrees to serve as a hostage to ensure the safety of Coalhouse’s men.
Whitman persists in treating the whole episode as if it is about the car and not about the broader issue of social and political injustice. Coalhouse’s compatriots understand themselves as crusaders in a larger cause, and that’s why they’re upset when Coalhouse sends them away unharmed. It’s possible to read this gesture in at least two ways. On the one hand, one could read the gesture as Coalhouse’s sad recognition that his actions will not have a lasting effect. On the other hand, one could read Coalhouse’s negotiation as a way to continue the struggle through the actions of the men who will survive him.
Themes
