A Critical Examination of Tateh

From the vibrant array of characters developed by Doctorow in Ragtime, Tateh is undeniably among the most complicated. He is featured as one of protagonists, who’s story permeates the duration of the book. Such plot emphasis allows his character to develop in astonishing ways. Although this development leaves Tateh in a favorable position by the end of the story, there are certain inconsistencies in his morals that raise questions about his character. Readers may be inclined to derive satisfaction from Tateh “making it in America”, but a critical analysis of his actions could make readers view his overall character more unfavorably. A cynic could quite effectively argue that economic privilege caused Tateh to abandon his ideals, and even more scrutiny might suggest that Tateh demonstrated inconsistent morals prior to the advent of his success. The blinding pride exhibited in the former stages of his life morphed into apathy and hypocrisy in the latter stages.

In the first glimpse of Tateh’s life, he is presented as the typical, hardworking 20th century European immigrant. Optimism is the anthem of Tateh’s family (for about a paragraph). It quickly becomes apparent that American life is full of vicissitudes which expose his true character. When the family begins to struggle financially, Mameh is forced into complacency as she is taken advantage of by her employer. Tateh passionately speaks of how “His own wife, to feed them, offered herself and he has now driven her from his home and mourns her as we mourn the dead” (Doctorow 43). Instead of sympathizing with his wife, he shuns Mameh and casts her out of the family as an infidel. His pride prevents him from seeing Mameh’s genuine intentions, ignoring the deplorable, coercive actions of her employer and instead victim blaming Mameh. 

Tateh’s pitiless condemnation of Mameh parallels the circumstances in his abandonment of Evelyn Nesbit. Although Evelyn Nesbit’s intentions for involving herself in the family’s life were questionable, she offered tremendous help without requiring any compensation. In it of itself, Tateh’s refusal of greater financial aid from Nesbit underscored his self-destructive nature, as she struggled to overcome “the old man’s tormented pride” (Doctorow 49). His inability to discard pride for the wellbeing of his daughter speaks to his misaligned priorities. When he finally learns of Nesbit’s identity, he abandons her just as he abandoned Mameh, lamenting that his “life [was] desecrated by whores” (Doctorow 55). This insult reveals his discriminatory view of Nesbit, despite the fact that she had not yet been unfaithful to her spouse in any way. Through extrapolation, it seems reasonable to infer that he counted his wife among the “whores” who desecrated his life, further demonstrating the unfair judgment that still lingered in his mind.

Finally, after Tateh became a wealthy pioneer in the animation industry, his primary fault shifted from pride to ideological hypocrisy. Prior to Tateh’s financial breakthrough, he was heavily involved with socialist movements, donning the title of Socialists Artists’ Alliance President and participating in workers union strikes. These political ideals are entirely unrepresented when he becomes the Baron. The Baron lives lavishly in Atlantic City, fraternizing with the rich New Rochelle family who represents the class of people he used to hate, and flaunting the lucrative profit margin yielded by his films. Tateh would have undoubtedly looked upon this lifestyle with scorn. This is proven by the scene where, in the early stages of his life, Tateh and his family walked among the uptown New York mansions and “He looked at the Palaces and his heart was outraged” (Doctorow 16). Doctorow may be using Tateh as an example of the inevitably hyper-individualistic nature of capitalist success. By compromising Tateh’s morals and transforming him into the hypocritical Baron, he makes a larger statement about capitalist societies.