Class And Coalhouse

A passage in Ragtime that I find shows me a real example of social class and discrepancies in these classes is when J. P. Morgan’s library is wired to be bombed by Coalhouse Walker Jr. Among the many ideas emerging during this time one that seems to be very important is a sense of individuals, taking action. Whether that would be in Emma Goldman’s anarchism or Coalhouse’s refusal to be wronged, many individuals felt that it was in their best interest to take action to those who wronged them. There are obvious and well known class issues shown in this passage, primarily dealing with Coalhouse Walker Jr. fighting back against the glorified upper class. Coalhouse Walker Jr was a professionally trained musician and a person who in all his mannerisms acted as any other upper high class person would. He decides to takes matters into his own hands and begins to attack the known and established upper class. J. P. Morgan is known around the world as an extremely influential and prominent businessman who owned millions of dollars and in many ways was more powerful than the president himself. Social class is easily identified in this passage shown with the shock and awe of Coalhouse not being able to stand for the injustices done to him and in standing up standing up to a class that refused to accept him. In this time it was exceedingly rare for an African American man to have what Coalhouse Walker Jr. had. Because of this, when he took his life into his own control, it seemed that outside characters recognized him instantly as a poor insensitive black man. Even when Booker T. Washington interviewed Coalhouse Walker Jr. it seemed that Washington laid judgment on this man before he even talked to him. Coalhouse therefore felt the need to fight back at this class. He may have done it out of anger for his car or out of a feeling of disrespect. Either way, Coalhouse Walker Jr. was sick of never being accepted into affluent circles, showing a reason why he may have targeted one of the richest men in the world.