Throughout E.L. Doctorow's novel Ragtime, the character Father seems to be constantly in conflict with from his environment. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that despite his claim to be a progressive, he is very stubborn and resistant to change. Father's close-mindedness prevents him from seeing how close-minded he is, a cycle which only reinforces his unbending attitude.
From the beginning of the book, Father's stubborn attitude prevents him from appreciating the very qualities of the country that welcomed his family because he so fears change. As Father departs on his Arctic journey, his ship passes a ship of immigrants headed to America. As he gazes across the faces of the new citizens, we are told that he "suddenly foundered in his soul." (12) It is odd that the thought of foreigners moving to America had such a dramatic effect on Father. The reader quickly learns that Father judges these people for the simple reason that he feels that they are going to change his country in some way or another. The irony of Father's reaction is that practically all citizens of the United States arrived as immigrants from other countries, and it is likely that Father's parents moved to America shortly before he was born. Still, he does not make that connection and he only sees this ship of people representing a change that is out of his control.
Even the most trivial changes to society elicit a strong disapproval by Father. At this period of time archaeological discoveries in Egypt had worked their way into modern culture. While his son is fascinated by tombs and hieroglyphics, Doctorow notes that "Father, sensitive to every change, found his appetite diminished" (128) by these new topics. When he decries these changes, he is showing dislike for more than just Egyptian culture, but foreign changes to his own culture. He can not stand this outside influence over his lifestyle unless he is causing it. This need to control outside influences draws him to journey to the North Pole and later will send him on a fatal trip to Europe. However, when he can not control what is going on, he tends to dismiss things as lacking merit.
Father's tolerance for others is tested when the family meets the father of Sarah's child, Coalhouse Walker Jr. After many visits to court Sarah and make a good impression on the family, Father decides that "Coalhouse Walker Jr. didn't know he was a Negro." (134) Coalhouse's sophisticated language and and classy presence differed from Father's image of how a black man should act. In this period, black people were working to advance themselves and gain equality, but Father will not accept that. In his reluctance to embrace a sophisticated black man, he generates the idea that Coalhouse thinks he is white to satisfy his own preconceptions.
Father appears to become disillusioned with his inconsistent views when he takes his son to a baseball game. To his dismay, the game he loves is now dominated by immigrants. Father thinks to himself that "there was no reason the Negro could not with proper guidance carry every burden of human achievement," however we do know that Father looked poorly upon Coalhouse for being as successful as a white man. Father is in denial about his beliefs; he likes to think of himself as someone who could be accepting of all types, but when it comes time to prove this, he acts much to the contrary. While watching the game, it is also mentioned that Father had "always thought of himself as progressive." (194) However, Father is actually not progressive enough to realize that his views are not progressive at all. This lack of insight shields Father from coming to the conclusion that he can not accept change.
In spite of Father's progressive self-image, he is actually unwavering in his rigid attitudes and rejects even the slightest of changes. This outlook has a negative influence on his family and leads to the eventual separation of him and his wife. Ultimately, Father's attempt to hold on to the past ends up destroying his future.
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