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Dana as Rufus's Replacement for Margaret Weylin

In “The Storm,” after Dana announces that Tom Weylin is dead and she is unable to help him, Rufus sends her out to work in the fields. When he “rescues” her later on, Rufus tells her to “go read a book or something,” acting as an apology for what he did (Butler 217). At that moment, Dana realizes something: “I remembered suddenly the way he used to talk to his mother. If he couldn’t get what he wanted from her gently, he stopped being gentle. Why not? She always forgave him” (217). Throughout the novel, Rufus comes to view Dana as somewhat of a mother figure. How did this happen? The act of having to save Rufus every time Dana is transported into the 1800s allows him to view Dana as a caretaker, paralleling his mother’s behavior. Each time Dana reappears in Rufus’s life, she saves him from danger, often nursing him back to health. Because of this, Rufus begins to develop an unhealthy attachment to Dana, learning that she will always come when he calls for help. In “The Rope,” Rufus r...
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Parallels of Musical Appropriation in Mumbo Jumbo and Reality

Ishmal Reed’s Mumbo Jumbo parallels reality in multiple ways. One of the most prominent examples of this is the stealing and appropriation of music from Black culture. In the novel, Moses steals Jethro’s music and attempts to play it off as his own. After hearing of Jethro the Midianite, “who could still play the sounds of the spirit and had a legendary instrument that sounded like an orchestra and knew all the ‘old songs’,” Moses is intrigued and sets out to visit him (Reed 176). Over the next few months, Moses learns all of Jethro’s songs and writes everything down, even marrying his daughter, Zipporah, to obtain the words. Eventually, Moses travels to Egypt and announces that he will give a concert, which consists of the music he learned from Jethro. The only change he makes is that it will be a “dignified concert,” meaning that there will be no “savage dancing” (Reed 182). In this, Moses not only steals Jethro’s music and attempts to perform it as his own, but he also strips it of ...
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Doctorow's Use of Irony in Ragtime

In Ragtime, Doctorow’s consistent use of irony serves as a tool for social commentary, specifically emphasizing the disparities between the rich/successful and those who work for them. While characters like Peary and Henry Ford are celebrated and glorified for their successes, the marginalized individuals who are the backbone of their success are exploited and unacknowledged.  When Father accompanies Peary on his expedition, Doctorow displays the ironic nature of Peary’s so-called “discovery” of the North Pole. Before they leave New York, Peary had asserted that “he and he alone was to discover the Pole” (Doctorow 76). While Peary may get the credit and accolades for his “discovery,” it is undoubtedly false that he discovered the Pole on his own. In truth, Peary is entirely dependent on the labor of others. Mathew Henson and the Esquimos do Peary’s dirty work, carrying the sledges, cooking the food, and building igloos, while Peary merely trails behind and gets the glory.  Doc...
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