Is history far from fiction?

The big question we discussed in class today regarding how much of history is actually based solely on truth and facts, for me, took some time for me to think over. While I was in class, I kept thinking to myself how there is plenty of archaeological evidence to prove that certain events in history have actually occurred. How can you deny that something like the Holocaust didn’t happen if there are actual photos, journals, and survivors of the Holocaust that exist? What about all the live film footage covering wars and massacres throughout the 20th century? How can you deny the truth behind these events if we have solid evidence that they happened?

Probably what made me rethink my initial thoughts on this question was during World Since 1945 when I was thinking of the JFK assassination. Last week, we watched a documentary showing actual recordings of news bulletins covering the JFK assassination from the time of the assassination itself all the way to the 1970s and 1980s when people were debating the possible conspiracy theories behind the assassination. We all know that President Kennedy was assassinated. That is a fact. The true intent behind the assassination is something, I can honestly say, up to fiction to decide. There isn’t any solid archaeological evidence to prove the back story of the Kennedy assassination, and everything from the Mafia to the CIA to President Lyndon B. Johnson himself have been suggested.

I couldn’t help but compare what these conspiracy theorists were doing with what Doctorow did in Ragtime. While both are definitely using real-life people within their own stories, they create an alternate timeline or an alternate world where they play with these people in order to create a convincing story. While the tones of these stories may sound different (Doctorow has a more cynical and satirical tone in Ragtime), the concept of a historical fiction writer to toy with the historical facts and people he knows about is definitely employed. Doctorow especially does this with J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, and Houdini. These conspiracy theorists are practically like historical fiction authors themselves to say the least.

Maybe I may be wrong in using the JFK assassination consipiracy theories as an example. But, there were other examples mentioned in class regarding stories of the Bible and Greek Gods. Even though they may or may not have happened, we conjure up these stories to tell the truths in our world. So is history really far from fiction? They aren’t necessarily synonymous, but not every fact and event in history can be proven with solid evidence. Even in history, people try to fill in the holes with their own truths to make a plausible story.

Coalhouse Walker's story

E.L. Doctorow certainly doesn’t shy away from talking about race in early 20th century America. The Jim Crow laws were still enforced during this era, and blacks around the country, whether in the North or the South, were victimized. Many authors, or at least the ones I have read so far (I’m sure there are many authors out there that shed their own light on blacks during this era), have always sympathized the blacks for the discrimination they have had to endure while portraying white Americans, especially Southerners, as the “evil-doers”. Doctorow strays from the  norm and portrays blacks in another light through the story of Coalhouse Walker.

One of the things that makes Coalhouse Walker so unique is his  image. He portrays one of wealth and of the upper class, as seen in how polite he is to everyone, the big city ragtime he plays as a pianist, and the Model T car he owns. While the way everyone treats Coalhouse is different, everyone was certainly shocked by how he looked. Reading this was not too much of a surprise for me. Again, with the Jim Crow laws, it wasn’t too much of a surprise that such stereotypes of blacks (poor, unkempt, etc.) were prevalent and used to judge all blacks.

The way all the various characters treat Coalhouse was also interesting to read about. Everyone is shocked upon first seeing Coalhouse, but it’s how they see Coalhouse after that initial shock that is interesting to note. For example, while Mother acts rather courteously towards Coalhouse and acts almost like a matchmaker for Coalhouse and Sarah, Father still holds onto some of that old-school racism. Sometimes, he even acts unintentionally racist as seen when he asks Coalhouse to play some “coon songs” when he visits Sarah at Mother and Father’s home. Other times, he feels insecure and even in awe and jealousy of Coalhouse’s wealth. Based on how Mother and Father are portrayed, to me, it shows that the Progressive movement has taken its effect on some people, but the old ideas of racism and other forms of discrimination have not yet been, nor will ever be, fully eliminated.

As we all know, Coalhouse, as great a man as he is, takes a turn for the worse. He soon becomes a rather vicious domestic terrorist and makes almost everyone in the city fear him because of a vandalized car and other forms of harrassment by Willy Conklin and his firefighters. As surprising as Coalhouse’s tragedy is, he represents how many blacks felt during the early 1900s. Race riots, such as the Springfield race riots of 1908 and the Atlanta Race riots,
were prevalent throughout the nation, and often the issues were over competition for jobs and civil rights for blacks. Blacks were obviously very angry during this time and the best way to express such anger was through the physical acts of violence. Coalhouse was no exception to this. The anger and emotions he felt over his Model T and Sarah’s death motivated him to go so far as to barricade himself in the Pierpont Morgan Library.

I know there is so much more to talk about, but this blog has to end somewhere. I remember Mr. Mitchell posed a question about whether we should admire the pride that has made Coalhouse so great, yet has driven him to become this domestic terrorist. Even if I don’t have a clear cut answer (because there is so much to consider in the character of Coalhouse), I will say this. Racism is something deeply inherent, and even if people like Father and Mother are around to represent the Progressive movement, racism certainly will never go away, at least not for a long time. One thing is for sure. Emotions and anger run high amongst those who are victimized, leading up to acts of violence. Coalhouse was just another one of those victims of this systematic racism. Was he right to have committed such crimes? That I leave up to the reader.

What is E.L. Doctorow's stance as a writer in "Ragtime"?

E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime is certainly a unique book and one that cannot easily be defined in a few sentences. Throughout the discussions we had in class, one of the big themes that especially caught my attention was the class difference Doctorow describes. Doctorow’s tale is clearly set at the turn of the century, a time when immigrants poured into America and a time when social problems,ranging from the filthiness of urban life to poor working conditions and crime, were rampant. The distinction in lifestyle can easily be seen between the rich and poor, as seen between the poor like Tateh and little girl and with the upper class like Evelynn Nesbitt.

I remember Mr. Mitchell posed a question when we were discussing the chapter on Harry Houdini and the poverty balls the upper class hosted. The question was about what perspective Doctorow was writing the book from as an author. For me, it was always hard to decide whether he was in favor of one of the social classes or was simply writing as a neutral historian. When writing this, I can honestly say that he is neither. Doctorow writes with not only so much irony and contradictions, but with lots of quirkiness and humor. While the descriptions of the upper class charity balls full of beef carcasses and Harry Houdini’s freakish nature in the eyes of the rich are only some examples of the irony and cynicism portrayed by Doctorow, the scene of Harry K. Thaw’s undressing at the Tomb and Mother’s Younger Brother’s humiliating mishap in front of Evelynn Nesbitt and Emma Goldman were some of the more quirky and almost comical scenes.
           
Whatever perspective Doctorow writes from, Doctorow is certainly writing as an author of historical fiction. As Mr. Mitchell said, even though Harry Houdini and Evelyn Nesbitt were real people in history, the author has the freedom to whatever he wants with these characters in his own world. Nobody can justify that Doctorow’s story is wrong because these people most certainly could have been living out these experiences unpublished. The setting the story takes place in is all the more ideal because, as mentioned before, of all the social problems going on throughout America in the 1900s. Anything could have happened behind the scenes and it is only our imagination that can truly portray what those things were.