In the beginnings of Ragtime, the readers direct most of their attention to the seemingly stagnant unnamed family and their middle-class life in New Rochelle. In part II of the story, E.L. Doctorow introduces a catalyst-like character that drives the plot of the rest of the book: Coalhouse Walker Jr.
The family’s complacency and preexisting ideals are challenged with the introduction of Coalhouse. All of the character’s lives are fundamentally changed (or ended) after this situation. They either find a new purpose or path in life. Ragtime has been interested in the prospect of change since the beginning of the novel. From Harry Houdini’s mid-life crisis and desire to reinvent himself to Mother’s Younger Brother’s newfound position as a revolutionary, the novel is focused on the changes in society at the turn of the twentieth century.
Coalhouse’s interactions with various characters, in particular Father, reveal more about them than Coalhouse himself. His mere existence is a provocation for his white counterparts, subverting their expectations of him, as shown by Father: “Walker didn’t act or talk like a colored man. He seemed to be able to transform the customary differences practiced by his race so that they reflected to his own dignity rather than the recipient’s…Father recognized certain dangers in the man. Perhaps we shouldn’t encourage his suit, he said to Mother” (Doctorow 162). Just like with ragtime music, his mere existence is one that threatens white people. Coalhouse is a character that is significant beyond his own narrative but to the fact that he reveals so much about the characters around him.
His character is treated with less irony than others, such as Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan, and Doctorow seems to almost humanize him more. The readers are introduced to him during his courtship with Sarah, revealing his good and friendly nature. Doctorow allows us to interpret his character by providing his basis for him. We feel more sympathy for him since we see him as a person and we understand the racial injustices of the time. He frames him in two different lights: a more humane picture in the narrative versus a deranged terrorist from the media.
As Coalhouse spirals with his acts of violence, he begins to become an autonomous character—one that seemingly becomes more historical. Ragtime is a story about racial injustice. One could argue that Coalhouse becomes less of a character and more of a symbol. He becomes a symbol of fighting back and represents a larger cause and movement, as seen in how his group is literally called “Coalhouse.” Within the story, Doctorow often uses free indirect discourse with multiple characters to express their thoughts and what they are thinking. However, there is almost none of that with Coalhouse. Rather, Doctorow maintains a purposeful distance from him—whether it be out of respect or to further the illusion of him being historical—he never goes inside Coalhouse’s mind. Doctorow does not try and speak on behalf of him, he merely recounts a narrative and describes his actions. This omission of information and distance from a character is a tactic that has been frequently employed by Doctorow to make the characters seem more historical. It further pushes the idea that Coalhouse's character is used to represent a larger issue of racial injustice at the time.
The novel revolves around Coalhouse: he changes the pace of the story, the story continues to morph with the introduction, and the characters are all spurred by his actions. He embodies the notion of change in Ragtime.
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