Sophia, History as Fiction

Leaving behind the socialist movement was an important moment for Tateh. At the beginning of the book, he was disdainful of the rich, scorning at the white houses. However, after taking part in the strike, he realized that even if workers could win strikes, they would still live in poverty, still no more than slaves to the companies and machines. Though this could be construed as giving up and giving in to the capitalist owners, Tateh did the right thing by leaving socialism. His love for his daughter was his motivation throughout the book, and all he wanted to do was to make a good living for her. Turning to capitalism gave her the best outcome. However, by changing his entire way of viewing the world, he also needed to change his name to Baron Ashkenazy. This seemingly small change leaves a big mark: Baron Ashkenazy is a new character, not a continuation of one. The old Tateh has died, and he is left in an intermediate stage of Tateh/ Baron Ashkenazy.  After deciding he no longer...

When we are first introduced to Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime , we learn “she had grown up playing in the streets of a Pennsylvania coal town” (Doctorow, 26), and by marrying Thaw, her mother’s “greediest dreams of connived wealth [Evelyn] had surpassed” (22). Historically, we also know that she was only about 16 when she met Stanford White and later married Henry Thaw. So, Evelyn Nesbit has never truly been independent, she has always had some external force controlling her.  Nesbit has grown to appreciate being reliant, which has been greatly determined by her constant subjugation. When Mother’s Younger Brother was following her, she was “not intimidated by his attention but protected.” (46). She has been so mistreated by both White and Thaw that although she loves Mother’s Younger Brother, “she wanted someone who would treat her badly and whom she could treat badly” (89), indicating, she would prefer an abusive relationship to a healthy, boring relationship. Nesbit’s connections with...