Ragtime by EL Doctorow Until the late 1900s, the American population as a whole had adopted a very optimistic view of American history. By glossing over the shameful events and emphasizing the brighter moments of our history, our culture has attempted to ignore the obvious fact that we have had, and still have, our share of problems. In Ragtime, EL Doctorow unapologetically exposes some of the worst aspects of American life in our most recent history. Doctorow holds nothing back, providing detailed examples of human cruelty and sacrifice, as well as the evolution of American society. Although criticism of American society was not the sole focus of his novel, Doctorow exposes and examines many issues that people tended to ignore, such as the impoverished immigrant working class, racism, and feminism. Doctorow's emphasis on these issues makes it clear that he thought: "America is a mistake, a gigantic mistake." » ; (33).The period in American history around the turn of the 20th century is commonly referred to as the Gilded Age. This refers to the growing size of the lower classes and the emergence of the capitalist elite as a new hegemonic class possessing virtually unimaginable wealth and power. This era saw a dramatic increase in the size of the lower classes as immigrants flooded the country and jobs became scarce, as well as a decrease in the size of the middle class. However, despite the less than ideal conditions that existed for many people in the country, middle- and upper-class citizens felt like they were in an era of prosperity. They turned a blind eye to all the suffering and difficulties of the lower class, in their perfect and ignorant world. “There were no black people. There were no immigrants”; (3). Doctorow recognized the prevailing attitude of the time for what it was, pure ignorance, and set out in Ragtime to educate the middle and upper classes about the real world and the hardships many people must endure. At the beginning of the novel, the unnamed family around which the story revolves has an air of purity. Right now everyone seems to be as they should be, they are financially well off, they have a normal family residing in a normal house in a normal neighborhood. The only family member who has any idea of ​​the darker times to come is the mother who thinks for herself... middle of paper... accepted it without hesitation.'; (269). Once again, Doctorow shows his distaste for the traditional values ​​of American society by allowing Mother's strong character to flourish and be happy in a society designed for men. Perhaps Doctorow did not see America as a gigantic mistake. The fact that the book ends on a hopeful note, with Mother and Tateh getting married, makes it seem like Doctorow still has hope for America. But it is only with the help of people like Mother and Tateh, who are two of the few main characters still alive at the end of the book, that American society can hope to improve. People's ignorance of working-class poverty, racism in an ethnically diverse culture, and men's conservative attitudes toward women are all problems that can be corrected with time and effort. Problems are to be expected in a unique society like America. Doctorow's novel is more than just a critique of the United States, it is a statement of his belief that America can improve but that there is much room for improvement. Bibliography: Doctorow, EL, Ragtime., 1976.