1. Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow McElhaney

2. Setting:  NYC, 1902  Upper Class  Mentions Flags and Patriotism  New Rochelle  Large populations in the city activities  Theodore Roosevelt  Racial issues  “No Negroes  No Immigrants”  The truth about society is not publicized  Scandals do exist

3. Winslow Homer painting

4. Characters  Father:  middle Class  Flag making business  Fireworks  Wealthy  Amateur explorer (9)  Planning a Trip to the North Pole with Peary  “Burly man with strong appetites” (11)  Mother:  Large Blonde woman  Little Boy:  P6 little boy is smart  Reads the newspaper  Grandfather  Narrator-  Child in the Family  Uncle (Mom’s younger brother)  “mother’s Younger Brother  P4 “Lonely, withdrawn young man, with blonde Mustache  “Thought to be having difficulty finding himself.”

5. More Characters  Stanford White  Famous architect, lover of Nesbit, shot by Thaw  Evelyn Nesbit (wife of Thaw)  “She was an artist’s model and aspiring actress”  Harry K. Thaw (rich playboy)  “He was a violent man who all his life had created incidents in restaurants.”  Pg. 6 Long Island sound brother is walking in the marshy area

8. Houdini  Pg 7 Houdini makes a visit  Vaudeville Act (link) = popular entertainment at the turn of the century 1880s-1930s, variety show, music, dance, sketch comedy (link)  Houdini was a very popular escape artist of the early 1900s, performed in Vaudeville (pictures of Houdini) Houdinipictures of Houdini pictures of Houdini  Car over heats a “Pope Toledo Runabout”  “His audiences were poor people- carriers, peddlers, policeman, children…”  “Warn the Duke”  As Houdini leaves the home the little boy runs up and says:  List of escapes:  Chained to a latter  Roped to a chair  Handcuffed  Legs put in irons  Tied up in a straight jacket  Bank vaults  Nailed up barrels  Locked in a roll top desk  Galvanized Iron boiler…

9. Peary Expedition  P 10 Readers find out the father is an Amateur Explorer and will be going to the North Pole with Admiral Peary expedition on the Roosevelt. Admiral Peary expedition Admiral Peary expedition

10. Sub-Plots 1. Mother’s Brother is in love with Evelyn Nesbit 2. Love Triangle: Evelyn Nesbit, Harry Thaw, and Stanford White Scandal 3. Mother and Father’s Relationship 4. Immigration- commentary on how immigrants live? 5. Immigrant Family- how they must struggle to survive. 6. Immigration/Urbanization- commentary on how immigrants live in NYC

11. Chapter 2 Discussion of Father and Mother’s marriage  Things are not good with Marriage  Houdini’s visit interrupted coitus  We find out about Father’s “Strong Appetites” P11  “The marriage seemed to flourish on Father’s absences.” P12  Mother said, “These are the happy years and ahead of us are only great disasters.” P13 Immigrants  Father makes a commentary about the immigrants he sees as he is sailing out of New York harbor  “ Yet aboard her were only more customers, for the immigrant population set great store by the American Flag.”

12. Characters Immigrant Plot  Mameh:  Immigrant mother  Sews clothes for money  Petite, dark-eyed, wavy brown hair, Sang softly  Tateh: (the dad)  Immigrant husband and father  Peddler in the street  A Socialist  The little girl:  Daughter sewed clothes  Very young  Daughter had to go to school by state law  Ch 3 page 15 new plot begins with family of immigrants  Mameh, Tateh the father, and the little daughter little girl  Mameh worked and had to sell her labor  Lecherous Owner liked Mameh and gave extra $ for sexual favors.  Mameh felt so poor needed to respond to owner’s sexual advances

13. Ch 3. P 14 Subject of Immigrants  Most immigrants come from “Italy or Eastern Europe”  Ellis Island is described.  Mentions hostility of old immigrants toward new immigrants P15  Description of the Morgue really means the immigrant lifestyle was difficult and hazardous  Immigrants live in tenement buildings- which are very hazardous, no air, hot, no running water, lots of death Immigrants

14. Immigrants

15. Henry FrickHenry Frick and Andrew Carnegie Henry Frick  Mention of Henry Frick, one of Andrew Carnegie’s managers in the Steel Industry, Anti- Union and was very harsh on the workers, didn’t have one bit of sympathy for him. Henry FrickAndrew Carnegie’sHenry FrickAndrew Carnegie’s  Workers try to kill Frick