Fragile Pursuits: Coalhouse and Younger Brother in Ragtime
In E. L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, Coalhouse Walker Jr and Younger Brother are defined by their pursuit of women who ultimately remain out of reach, resulting in them spiraling out of control. For Coalhouse, Sarah represents a second chance at true love, but social injustice and tragedy tear them apart. For Younger Brother, Evelyn Nesbit represents fantasy and desire that’s temporary and one-sided. Both men are left with loss, and their response to that loss propels them toward destruction.
Coalhouse comes to Father and Mother’s doors weekly to meet Sarah and their baby. He devotes time and patience to rebuild their relationship, and his persistence eventually persuades her to accept his marriage proposal. But Coalhouse’s encounter with systematic racism leads him to prioritize justice over seeking the American dream with Sarah and their child. When Sarah joins Coalhouse in his pursuit of justice, she is wrongfully identified as a threat and fatally injured. Coalhouse mourns her last days. Instead of immediately going after the fire chief who humiliated him, he strikes at what the firemen represent marking the beginning of his campaign of vengeance.
Younger Brother devotes a lot of his time to finding purpose in Evelyn. As Evelyn spends time with Tateh and his daughter, she notices “her secret admirer… who followed her everywhere she went” (Doctorow 45). Evelyn, with her troubled past, cannot find satisfaction with Younger Brother, and she soon becomes “indifferent to him and … one day she had gone off with a professional ragtime dancer” (Doctorow 114). He spends days in mourning and anger before being awakened by Sarah’s death and Emma Goldman’s rally. At that moment, his obsession shifts; no longer with Evelyn, but with Coalhouse’s cause which he takes up as a substitute for his failed pursuit of purpose.
Though Coalhouse and Younger Brother pursue women for different reasons, their quests end in the same outcome : loss. By paralleling their fates, Doctorow shows how fragile human pursuits can be.
Bibliography:
Doctorow, E. L. Ragtime. Random House, 2007 .
Hiii Bincy! This is a very interesting commonality between these two characters :DD ! I think if you're drawing comparisons between Coalhouse and Younger Brother's tragic love life, you could highlight how they both are characters that can become very easily obsessed with stuff, and how that exacerbated their destruction (how Coalhouse's perseverance to see Sarah despite her refusal and Younger Brother's attempt to stalk Evelyn even when she's scandalous). Sort of foreshadowing them to become political radicals.
ReplyDeleteHiii Bincy, This is a very interesting commonality between these two characters :DD ! I think if you're drawing comparisons between Coalhouse and Younger Brother's tragic love life, you could highlight how they both are characters that can become very easily obsessed with stuff, and how that exacerbated their destruction (how Coalhouse's perseverance to see Sarah despite her refusal and Younger Brother's attempt to stalk Evelyn even when she's scandalous). Sort of foreshadowing them to become political radicals.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting and original focus: I've never thought of these two characters as examples of guys whose motives are shaped by their pursuit of women, but it makes a lot of sense. With Coalhouse in particular, it's true that we don't get really anything of the earlier part of the story--whatever leads Sarah to her desperate act in Mother's garden. But Mother does refer to a reconciliation between them, and indeed in THIS storyline we see nothing but a respectable and even quaint, traditional "courtship." What possible obstacle could prevent a happy ending to this lovely romantic tale? Enter American racism: what a powerful way to show how Coalhouse Walker does not indeed have "equal opportunity" at happiness in this social context.
ReplyDeleteHey Bincy! This post is something I never really thought about up until this point, and I think you did a really great job comparing the two! Both of the character's visceral reactions to the loss of their romantic interests, causing their habits of destruction throughout the book, is particularly interesting and comments on the type of obsessive character they are. I think that also, these corresponding paths helped them bond and work well as a team later on in the book. Amazing job!
ReplyDeleteHi Bincy, I like how you focused on a key similarity between these two characters, and their similar responses to tragedy. I feel like Mother's Younger Brother's loss of Evelyn Nesbit was much less impactful on him than Coalhouse Walker's loss, as his love with Nesbit was much more surface level than Walker's love with Sarah. After all, as you pointed out, it was Younger Brother who joined Walker's cause, not the other way around. Overall, great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Bincy, I like how you compared a key similarity between these two characters, and their similar response to tragedy. I feel like Mother's Younger Brother's loss was much less personal than Walker's loss, as his love with Nesbit was very surface level. On the other hand, Walker had a much closer relationship with Sarah, and so her loss devasted him. After all, as you pointed out, it was Younger Brother who joined Walker's cause, not the other way around. Overall, nice post!
ReplyDeleteHey Bincy! Your interpretation of the similarities of Coalhouse and Younger Brother's loss was really interesting to read. I like how you portrayed that both of their losses invoked similar radical reactions. After all, it's human nature to act impulsively after a major loss. I'd like to point out in Younger Brother's case it was definitely a loss for him but it didn't immediately cause him to go full revolutionary. He kept clinging to the idea that he may be able to find Evelyn, which is also a common response to loss. Only after finding Emma Goldman on this futile chase did he begin to change. Regardless, both of their losses changed them and you did a good job of showing that!
ReplyDeleteBincy!! You explained the parallels between Coalhouse and Younger Brother so well. I like how you showed that both of them let their losses push them toward destruction, even though their relationships were so different.
ReplyDeleteHi Bincy! I havent really thought about Coalhouse Walker and Younger Brother being so similar in their way of 'pursuing women' until now. I like how you explain that both men seem to be persistent in pursuing Sarah or Evelyn. I also liked how you portrayed that both CH's and YB's 'rejection' lead to significant moments in their lives.
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