Victims and Victimization vs Resistance

Paper Summary:

In this paper, the role of victim/victimizers in Doctorow's 'Ragtime' is apparent, as many of the characters in Ragtime struggle to establish or counteract social norms. The basis race and creed become the catalysts for bigotry and class stratification that allows the victim concept to be enacted. However, the sense of awareness and consciousness that Mother, Walker, Sarah, and others feel against the hypocritical Father become resistance. The basis of resistance lies on the ability of Doctorow's character to consciously change themselves by avoiding societal traditions and traps that limit their lives.

From the Paper:

"In this literary study, the novel 'Ragtime' by E.L. Doctorow will be examined in relation to the theme of victims and victimization versus resistance. This novel relies more upon resistance to the historical trends found within Doctorow's "turn-of the century" American cultural and racial perspectives. Although many characters become victims and victimizers of the historical period in question, the greater reliance on Doctorow's literary approach reflects resistance to accepted societal norms. In essence, although arguments can certainly prove that the "victim roles" and "victimization" do abound in the way that characters interact within this novel, resistance provides a more conscious and verifiable way to understand change and intercultural relationships in Ragtime. The feelings of victimization in Ragtime are present within Doctorow's various stories through the institution of the American family."

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