Sacrifice and the American Dream in the works of EL Doctorow Throughout the works of EL Doctorow, many facets of American society are explored, ranging from the fate from the homeless to the peculiarities of the rich. A recurring theme in all of his novels is the existence of the American dream. He seems fascinated by upward social mobility, especially when it involves the poor and disadvantaged. Yet, Doctorow also emphasizes that to achieve or attempt to achieve the American Dream, one must make sacrifices, compromising morality, physical well-being, conscience, or identity. However, the overall benefits of achieving prosperity, equality, or acceptance always seem to outweigh the negative effects resulting from pursuing the enduring dream. In his most acclaimed novel to date, Doctorow tells "the story of the intersection of three very different families." "(Weiss n. pag.) in the golden era of the 1910s. Titled after the ubiquitous music of the decade, Ragtime chronicles the conflicts of social, economic, and political ideas that plagued the turn of the century. All three Seemingly distinct families offer insight into the diversity of American culture prevalent during this period in history. The first household represents the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) culture, which is believed to have already achieved the American dream. other families represent certain ethnic and racial groups who strive to achieve their dream throughout the novel But in pursuing this, they are each forced to pay a certain price In most of his novels, Doctorow seems "particularly drawn to. the stories [of]...poor immigrants” (Righteous 112); Ragtime is not an exception...... middle of paper ......September1980.pp 38-40 Rpt in literary criticism. of the 19th century. Detroit: Gale, 1981 p. 78Johnson, Diane. “The virtuous artist.” Terrorists and novelists. New York: Knopf1982 p. 141-149 Rpt. In 19th century literary criticism. Detroit: Gale, 1981, pp. 112-115______. “Waiting for Righty.” The New York Review of Books Online http://www.nybooks.com/nyrev.htm 5/7/99, n. pag.Litz, A. Walton ed. American Writers, Part I: Angelou-Hogan. London: Scribners, 1996, pp. 222-231 The national experience. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, 1993, pp. 429Prescott, Peter S. "Getting Into Dutch" Newsweek February 13, 1989, pp. 76Weiss, Heidi. “The Ragtime Revolutions”. Chicago Sun-TimesOctober 25, 1998Willis, Garry. "Juggler's Code" The New York Review of Books Online http://www.nybooks.com/nyrev.htm5/5/99, n. page.