(Ragtime) Mother's Younger Brother: Discovering His Path

 

Mother's Younger Brother: Discovering His Path

        In Doctorow's Ragtime, Mother's Younger Brother evolves from an idealistic, lost man to an experienced, purposeful revolutionary, reconstructing a new identity after encountering Emma Goldman and Coalhouse Walker. During the first half of the novel, Mother's Younger Brother pursues Evelyn Nesbit, relying on her to stay by his side and help him live his life. After failing to court Evelyn, Mother's Younger Brother returns to New Rochelle and meets Coalhouse Walker, whom he idolizes as a symbol of masculinity after witnessing his unwavering resolve to court Sarah. Due to this encounter, Coalhouse inspires Mother's Younger Brother to independently act and pursue Evelyn Nesbit again, resulting in a reality check by Emma Goldman. While Emma Goldman reminds Younger Brother to be more independent and free, she also inadvertently inspires him to become a revolutionary who stands against injustice. Aspiring to be like Emma Goldman and Coalhouse Walker, Younger Brother joins Coalhouse's terrorizing movement against Fire Chief Conklin. In this group, Younger Brother completely reconstructs his identity, or as Doctorow describes, “He shaved his blond moustache and he shaved his head. He blackened his face and hands with burnt cork, outlined exaggerated lips, put on a derby and rolled his eyes… he went out with them and threw the bombs into Municipal Firehouse No. 2, thereby proving himself to everyone including himself,” (Doctorow 243-244) On this occasion, Younger Brother “shaved his head” and “blackened his face” to reform his identity as a member of Coalhouse’s revolutionary cause. Then, He acts with the movement, thereby “proving [his new identity] to everyone including himself.” Due to his epiphanic encounters with Emma Goldman and Coalhouse Walker, Younger Brother evolves from an idealistic stray to a tenacious revolutionary, rebuilding a more favorable identity for himself.

        Doctorow subjects Mother's Younger Brother to the behest of the plot, forcefully governing Mother's Younger Brother's evolution from an idealistic, lost male to an experienced, purposeful revolutionary. In the beginning, Mother's Younger Brother behaves under the control of the events and circumstances surrounding Evelyn Nesbit, becoming her beloved slave while trying to do anything to make her happy. This treatment eventually leads to the end of their relationship, and Younger Brother continues to be pulled along by the plot. Later, when Younger Brother becomes a revolutionary after meeting Coalhouse Walker and Emma Goldman, he also obtains control over the storyline. This influence is showcased through Younger Brother's contribution to Coalhouse's terrorizing movement. After Coalhouse's second bombing, Doctorow writes, "The story of Coalhouse's second attack made the front pages of every newspaper in the country. Reporters in droves came up from New York, " (Doctorow 221). Without Younger Brother supplying bombs and weapons to Coalhouse, the movement would not have attracted the massive amount of attention it did (considering that Coalhouse was an oppressed black musician in the early 1900s and would not have had access to such weaponry). Thus, Younger Brother directly influences the plot by supplying weapons to Coalhouse, allowing the movement to attract enormous attention and; furthermore, resulting in the authorities meeting Coalhouse's final demands.

        Throughout the novel, Mother's Younger Brother attaches himself to others, making fulfilling their ambitions his life's purpose. This overreliance on others becomes an insurmountable barrier, blocking him from realizing his own, unique aspirations. By relying on others to provide him with a purpose, Mother's Younger Brother experiences a temporary sense of belonging, but must later search for a new purpose after his patron's ambitions are fulfilled. This is especially prominent when he joins Coalhouse's terrorizing movement against Fire Chief Conklin. After Mother's Younger Brother befriends the other members of the movement, Doctorow narrates, "They believed they were going to die in a spectacular manner. This belief produced in them a dramatic, exalted self-awareness. Younger Brother was totally integrated in their community. He was one of them. He awoke every day into a state of solemn joy," (Doctorow 245). In this instance, Younger Brother feels this temporary belonging, believing that he "was one of them" after copying the group's purpose for himself. Later, we see that belonging fade after Coalhouse turns himself over to the authorities. After returning to Harlem without Coalhouse, Doctorow describes, "They were all there but the man they had followed. The rooms seemed empty. Nothing mattered. They could barely bring themselves to talk," (302). After Coalhouse is captured, Younger Brother loses any objective he previously had. "Nothing mattered" to the directionless Younger Brother. In essence, despite Younger Brother's drastic character shift from a lost man to an experienced revolutionary, he still fails to realize his unique aspirations due to his consistent overreliance on others to determine his own path.

- Max Bolton