The Myth of the Melting Pot - A Postmodernist Reading of E.L. Doctorow's "Ragtime"

Abstract

In this essay the notion of the melting pot within E.L. Doctorow's "Ragtime" will be examined. In contradistinction to most previous research on "Ragtime", where the greatest focus is put on the American dream, this study will mainly emphasise the melting pot. The essay will question the validity of Ragtime's melting pot and argue that the concept within this fictional work is a myth. The research is based on a postmodernist reading of the novel where postmodernist features in "Ragtime" like the paradox, marginalisation, parody and identity will serve as evidence of the claim.