Tateh's Streetcar Journey

In Chapter 12 of Ragtime, Tateh decides that he has had enough of New York and takes his daughter on a long trip through New England, from New York to Boston. As they travel, they jump from streetcar to streetcar, traveling on different routes provided by different companies. In New York, they rode the No. 8 and No. 12 lines: a “car of the Springfield Traction Company” (94) in Connecticut, and a “modern dark green car of the Worcester Electric Street Railway” in Springfield (95). Along the way, the little girl spots the Little Boy. Doctorow says, “A boy and his mother passed by. The little girl looked at the boy. He was tow-headed. He wore a sailor blouse, dark blue knickers, white socks and polished white shoes. His hand was in his mother’s hand and as he passed the little girl standing with her ancient father, the boy’s eyes looked in to hers” (93).

Invented in 1873 and first used in San Francisco, streetcars had begun as a tool of the rich and middle class. They were used to replace horses and were dragged by cables running between their rails. As their popularity grew in the early 20^th century, they allowed the wealthy to move away from a city into its suburbs up to ten miles away. The poor, restricted by the cost (10 to 20 cents a day), were unable to take full advantage of the streetcar and were forced to stay near the city center. Later, however, Henry Ford’s Model T and other cars like it began to take away from the streetcar’s popularity. Because of its ability to travel almost anywhere, it became the preferred mode of transportation for people who could afford it. The poor, unable to take advantage of this new development, were forced to use the streetcars if possible.

Tateh’s trip is inside of vehicles that the rich no longer want and the poor have no option but to use. When the little girl sees the boy, it’s a scene of the poor observing the rich. The boy’s social standing is emphasized by Doctorow’s diction; he wore “polished” shoes. The use of the words “ancient father” creates an image of a man worn down by the pressures of society, suggesting the little girl’s own social class. A relation to the transformation theme can be formed too; the role of the streetcar undergoes a metamorphosis as new technology appears. This shows the large effects of technological advancement in this time.

Bibliography:

"The Automobile Age." The Wilson Quarterly 10.5 (1986): 64-79. JSTOR. Web. 28
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Hartman, Michael. "urban transportation, 1890–1930." In Faue, Elizabeth, and Gary B. Nash, eds. Encyclopedia of American History: The Emergence of Modern America, 1900 to 1928, Revised Edition (Volume VII). New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
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"Streetcar." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/568735/ streetcar>.