In chapter 17 Doctorow uses ancient Egypt to symbolize the concentration of wealth and power as well as the stratified society that is being challenged by early 20th century America. The author uses Egypt as a literary device to compare wealthy pharaohs to the successful businessmen of the early 1900s and to show the similarities between the pharaoh’s slaves and today’s poor working class.
Morgan became fascinated with ancient Egypt perhaps because it was an era of incredible wealth, innovation, and power of its rulers. Its capital was Thebes and “no other city in the world could match it for size for centuries.” Today Thebes is currently known as Luxor and it remains one of the greatest sites of the ancient world. Morgan is impressed by ancient Egypt- its temples, its pyramids, and the Valley of the Kings (the secret burial ground for the ancient pharaohs). But he is not impressed with his competition, he even thinks of himself as alone atop of “the business pyramid”(137). Morgan is egocentric and wants to build himself his own pyramid. He also believes that his genius has been facilitated by Osiris, the Egyptian God of reincarnation.“To Morgan, the disfigurement of his monstrous nose was the touch of God upon him” (140).
By Colten McCormick
Morgan became fascinated with ancient Egypt perhaps because it was an era of incredible wealth, innovation, and power of its rulers. Its capital was Thebes and “no other city in the world could match it for size for centuries.” Today Thebes is currently known as Luxor and it remains one of the greatest sites of the ancient world. Morgan is impressed by ancient Egypt- its temples, its pyramids, and the Valley of the Kings (the secret burial ground for the ancient pharaohs). But he is not impressed with his competition, he even thinks of himself as alone atop of “the business pyramid”(137). Morgan is egocentric and wants to build himself his own pyramid. He also believes that his genius has been facilitated by Osiris, the Egyptian God of reincarnation.“To Morgan, the disfigurement of his monstrous nose was the touch of God upon him” (140).
By Colten McCormick
Judd, Denis. "The New Kingdom." A Traveller's Short History of Egypt. Northampton: Interlink Group, 2007. 85. Print.
Tignor, Robert L. "Egypt during the Old Kingdom." Egypt: a Short History. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2010. 42. Print.
Carey, Charles W., Jr. "Morgan, J. P." American Inventors, Entrepreneurs, and Business Visionaries, American Biographies. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2002. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
ItemID=WE52&iPin=AIE0187&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 10, 2011).
ItemID=WE52&iPin=AIE0187&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 10, 2011).
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