Coalhouse's Revenge

One of the most important characters in Doctorow’s Ragtime is Coalhouse Walker, a successful black pianist, and the father of the Sarah’s baby. The initial reader response to Coalhouse is very positive. He is a successful African American in a time when the black race suffered from intense racial discrimination. He is an example of how African Americans can be well-educated, civilized members of society. Mother says that Coalhouse “is well spoken, and conducts himself as a gentleman,”(158) thus creating an even more positive image of Coalhouse. The reader supports his fight for justice against the firehouse chief, who vandalized Coalhouse’s new Model T. The reader appreciates his initial nonviolent approach to the situation, but the death of Sarah results in a complete change in Coalhouse. There is a distinct contrast created in the reader’s mind due to this juxtaposition of Coalhouse. Suddenly his actions become violent, forming a gang and bombing the firehouse. Coalhouse has instantly become the villain. This drastic change provokes the question as to whether or not there were violent black gang’s like this that made public attacks in the early 1900s. People know all about the KKK, a white supremacist group that was known for lynching African Americans, but were there any black groups that retaliated? Very little suggests that any sort of violent reaction came from the black crowd in the early 1900s. That was more of a time where African Americans were still creating their own community and their own identity. The first real violence seen from the black community was in the 1960’s with the Black Panther Party. An organization following Malcolm X’s ideals, the Black Panther Party “demanded [their] constitutions rights, and demanded that [their] basic needs be fulfilled.” The Watts Riots in Lost Angeles were also examples of African American violence. The whole idea of Coalhouse and his gang was a little ahead of their time, but Doctorow uses this detail to add to the reoccuring theme of change in American society.

By Henry Bird

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"Watts Riots." pbs.org. Luna Ray Films, 2002. Web. 9 May 2011.
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