Analysis of the text «Ragtime» by E. L.

Doctorow

Macro-componential analysis
The text under analysis belongs to the belles-letter FS. The substyle of it is an
emotive prose.
The novel is written by E. L. Doctorow - an American writer, is famous for
his novels which include «Welcome to Hard Times» and «The book of Daniel»
which was nominated for a national Book Award.

The author takes the position of an observer. He follows the events along with
the reader. The narrator is omniscient and unobtrusive as he doesn’t interfere and
doesn’t show his opinion.

The author presents the story in the third person narration. The advantage is an
objectivity of the narration. The disadvantage is that narration lacks emotions.

The title of the text is «Ragtime». It disorients the reader towards the
perception of the text but it gives the artistic detail. The title is supposed to be the
symbolic representation of the atmosphere which characterizes the scene of the
novel. We may also notice abrupt changes from short sentences to long ones, and
then back again. And even feel the rhythm and the intonation of it the text.
There are several themes in this story.1-st may be represented as main
character’s attempts to bring back the trust of his lover towards him, while the 2-nd
– social, inequality, the racial attitude of the white family towards the black ones.
The author writes about a black pianist whose name is Coalhouse Walker Jr.
He wants to see his beloved Sarah. He comes to the place where she resides but
she refuses to meet him. Coalhouse Walker tries to attract her attention. He comes
to her house every day, tries to communicate with the people who also live there
and plays the piano for her to listen to him and talk to him. But while others enjoy
his playing Sarah only sits upstairs with her hands folded and listens with the door
open. The plot of the story is not very complicated but rather intriguing and
keeping in suspense.
 The text under analysis easily falls into the following logical parts. Every part
may be entitled.
The 1st logical part can be entitled as « Coalhouse Walker Jr.» The key words
and word combinations for this part are: a new model T-Ford2, trying to find a
particular address, a gloved hand, a Negro, Sarah, the woman in the attic, he
colored man was respectful, mother.
The 2nd logical part can be entitled as «The first visit» The key words and
word combinations for this part are: to wait, the girl Sarah, don't want to see him,
Sarah's baby, as suddenly outraged, the black man was kneeling, the coming of
the colored man.
“The next Sunday” can be the title for the next part. The key words and word
combinations for this part are: next Sunday, Cualhouse Walker Jr., every week,
father considered the visits a nuisance, yellow chrysanthemums .
The 4th logical part can be entitled «Tea invitation». The key words and
word combinations for this part are: took tea, he suffered no embarrassment,
сourteous and correct, professional pianist, the Jim Europe Clef Club
Orchestra, what can you play.
«Piano playing» can be the title for the next part. The key words and word
combinations for this part are: the napkin, the piano stool, face reddened, Wall
Street Rag, never made such sounds, audience the entire family, his nightlife
period, he door open.
The last logical part can be entitled «Another silence». The key words and
word combinations for this part are: everyone applauded, hook the black man's
hand, Carrie Jacobs Bond, coon song, minstrel shows, another silence, not be
able to receive me, the baby asleep, walked out of the door.
As for the setting, it involves the time and the place of the events. The setting
is dynamic and it is given explicitly. We may see that the action takes place in
United States of America as such words as “New York”, “Manhattan” are
mentioned. The time covers few weeks. We may also guess the season. By the
words “a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums which in this season had to have cost
him a pretty penny” we may say that it was a cold time of the year, may be it was
winter. But this information is given implicitly.
The atmosphere of the text is homogeneous. The story is written in simple
language. The author uses common literary words so the text is easy to read. The
author uses also some terms which describe the professionalism of the pianist: rag
time, rag, piano, tune, in need of a tune, octaves, and keyboard. The tone of the
story is formal, matter-of-fact,one can even say dry. Such style is called
telegraphic. To show some changes in the life of the characters the author uses
mostly syntactical devices. The whole text seems to be nothing but just
illumination of actions (The black man placed tea on the tray. He rose, patted his
lips with the napkin, placed the napkin beside his cup and went to the piano) but
this way it becomes dynamic.
Speaking about the style we may say that it is neutral.
There are following characters in the text:
1. Coalhouse Walker Jr. is the main character, because he undergoes
changes and development because of an internal conflict. In the climax of
this story we see not a «Negro» – «White’s» slaves – but a cultured, self-
conscious good musician playing the piano which «had never made such
sounds» in spite of the fact “this piano is badly in need of a tuning”.
These words made Father’s face reddened : «What? A Negro dared say
such words» It was inconceivable for those period that such lowest
society dared say such things.
2. Sarah is the secondary character. The character is simple, because he
doesn’t undergo changes and development. The character has implicit
means: the reader formulates his opinion about character accumulating
details from the text.
3. The Father and the Mother are simple secondary characters – the
representatives of the Old America – were disposed against Coalhouse
Walker Jr. firstly. But when he left a bouquet of expensive flowers which
had to have cost him «a pretty penny» – the Mother decided to give him
 chance. This extract is full of irony tone which describes the negative
attitude towards Black’s at that time – Father’s consideration “a
nuisance”, prevailing word combination “colored man” or “Negro”,
Father’s irritation and abrupt questions – we can feel the negative
atmosphere of this Avenue, of this Old World.
Having read the extract we may point out the following conflicts: the external
conflict, between Sarah and the comer, and the internal conflict, inside Sarah, in
her heart and soul. On the one hand, Sarah loves Coalhouse Walker, on the other
hand she can’t forgive him and she suffers because of it.
The form in which the text is written is dramatic (narration with direct speech).
The author uses the straight-line-narrative technique. The events are arranged
in chronological order.
The composition consists of exposition, complication, climax and denouement.

The exposition gives us information about Coalhouse Walker, but this information
scatters all throughout the extract.

The complication gives us information about the situation referring to Coalhouse

Walker and Sarah.

As for me the climax of the story is silence after Coalhouse Walker’s playing:
“There was another silence”, the narrator says. This moment is the most tense.

The last sentences form the denouement and so we come to know that Sarah didn’t
appear in front of Coalhouse Walker.

The Ragtime – the music of nightlife New-York. This music in Coalhouse’s

performance made all the Family gather in the room. In this extract we can see the
personification of the end of emancipation from slavery – “everyone applauded” –
the new time had come – the time of freedom and independence.
 Micro-componential analysis
In order to make the language of the story more beautiful the narrator uses
such stylistic devices as, for example: anaphora and parallel construtions for
describing simple actions of The Mother:“She told him to wait and closed the door.
She climbed to the third floor. She found the girl Sarah….” All actions are very
strict and precise. Like some kind of a report.
The man decides to come to the kitchen where, in the warmth of the comer
near the cookstove, Sarah’s baby sleeps. Metaphor “the warmth of the
comer”shows us gentle, affectionate attitude of Coalhouse to this child.
As Sara refused to receive Coalhouse he has to leave. Again it’s viewed as
the enumeration of actions “The colored man took another glance at the child,
rose, thanked her and departed.
Judging by the inversion “such was the coming”we may say that the family
remained under impression of Coalhouse’s visit. But it wasn’t the last one.
”Beginning with that Sunday he appeared every week, always knocking at the
back door. Always turning away without complaint…” here we find repetition
“always” that emphasizes man’s persistence and anadiplosis that creates a feeling
of Coalhouse as a determined person.
One Sunday the colored man left a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums which
in this season had to have cost him a pretty penny. Meiosis “pretty penny” is used
in order to underline that the pianst spent a big sum of money to get the flowers.
When the Mother understands him to be a respectful and rich man she
decides to invite him for tea. We can also find several historical allusions: Teddy
Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington.
Coalhouse comes for the tea and that’s when he tells about himself. To
emphasize that he was tired of moving from town to town and order too much
money the author uses anaphora/ parallel constructions “I’m through travelling,
he said… I’m through going on the road” and the unfinished sentences “im
through travelling…” .
 Then the family asks Coalhouse Walker to play.Again enumerations of
actions; He rose, patted his lips with the napkin, placed the napkin beside his cup
and went to the piano. Antithesis: He rose - He sat … polysyndeton: (“He sat on
the piano stool and immediately rose and twirled it till the height was to his
satisfaction”. Doctorow uses these devices to create the atmosphere which
characterizes the scene of the novel can remind the readers the rhythm of ragtime.
Again we find llusions: music references to Scott Joplin and his Wall Street
Rag / Maple Leaf Rag and Carrie Jacobs Band.
In the passge about Coalhouse’s play author uses epithets “robust
composition; vigorous music; mute and unforgiving Sarah and such similes as
“melodies like bouquets” and “chords like flowers” prove that everybody in the
house was inspired by the beauty of the piece of music played by Coalhouse
Walker and that they couldn’t remain indifferent to it.
Further we see the ending of the extract and it is in the same manner as was
the beginning. Short sentences. Enumerated actions. “Everyone was standing.
Everyone applauded. There was a silence. There was another silence“. Music
changed his relations with the family in the whole and if Sarah is still silent he
hasn't left hope for her forgiveness.