Grammar Questions
The myth of the melting pot
At the beginning of the 1900s, European immigrants immigrated to America (Booth). A Jew named Israel Zangwill wrote a play whose central theme has not been forgotten. The said production was entitled “The Melting Pot” which depicts a promise that immigrants can be transformed into Americans, that America can transform people of color and background into ‘one America’ (Booth).
In the book, Ragtime, Tateh represents a ‘Melting Pot’ immigrant. When we first get to know Tateh, he lives in a single room with his family. Tateh made his living in the street (Doctorow 15). They were in a terrible situation as they lived in extreme poverty, struggling to make ends meet. Tateh’s identity clashes with the white American ideal as they are white, Christian and capitalists whilst Tateh is an immigrant, Jewish and socialist. It is said that Tateh is the president of the Socialist Artists’ Alliance of the Lower East Side and that he is a proud man (Doctorow 44). Tateh refuses to give up his religious and political values to become an American. This, however, is not an unusual reaction as it easy to avoid the melting pot with the emphasis on diversity and ethnicity (Branigin). In the article, Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation, they bring up the fact that attachment to one’s home country, culture and language helps maintain a sense of identity (Branigin). Tateh’s exclusion from the melting pot is somewhat self-chosen, which was shown when he was unwilling to interact with a white woman as she asks for a portrait of herself together with his daughter, the reaction that Tateh had, suggests hostility towards this lady (Doctorow 44). Another factor for his exclusion from the melting pot, is the American’s hostility towards immigrants (Doctorow 14).
Miraculously, Tateh gets a job in Lawrence which leads him into leaving New York, hoping for a better future (Doctorow 91). However, Tateh’s economic and living conditions did not improve which makes him realize that the economic situation gives him no possibility to change (Doctorow 130). Tateh began to see how the life in New York had taken a toll on him. He also experiences a meaningful feeling of separation from his previous socio-economic position (Doctorow 131). Everything changes when Tateh’s movie books gets published, making him climb the social ladder and make a fortune. The formerly proud socialist gives up his socialism and becomes a capitalist. He leaves his old identity and values behind as he assimilates to the American culture (Doctorow 259). At the end of the book, Tateh even marries a white Christian woman and lives lavishly.
Conclusion:
It is safe to say that Tateh is a character full of unpredictabilities and contradictions. At the beginning, Tateh, a proud man who does not want to give up his values and identity whilst he is too proud to interact with Americans, ends up marrying a white Christian woman and gives in to capitalism. He first lived in extreme poverty with bad living conditions but later becomes a wealthy person and lives in a lavish house. He also felt strong about his religious values but ended up abandoning these values later as he marries a Christian woman. Thus the reason why Tateh represents a ‘melting pot’ immigrant.
Works Cited:
Booth, William. “One Nation, Indivisible: Is It History?” The Washington Post. 22 Feb 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/meltingpot/melt0222.htm accessed 21 February 2022.
Branigan, William. “Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation” The Washington Post. 25 May 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/meltingpot/melt0525a.htm accessed 21 February 2022.
Branigan, William. “We Were Pretty Much Invisible” The Washington Post. 25 May 1998. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/meltingpot/melt0525b.htm accessed 21 February 2022.
Doctorow, E. L. Ragtime. 2nd ed., Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2007.
