Imprisonment
In Ragtime, Houdini has an encounter with Harry K. Thaw in the Tombs. Houdini is trying to escape his cell as part of a performance, and his cell is across from Thaw’s, who is there for killing Stanford White. Houdini’s encounter with Thaw is pretty wacky but you can glean a lot from it.
Houdini’s cell is a normal one. He starts off naked then after escaping puts his clothes back on. Thaw, on the other hand, starts off clothed and decides to undress. His cell isn’t really a cell because of all the stuff he has. Thaw’s living a great life while in jail.
There are a lot of differences between Thaw and Houdini. A major one is who is free and who isn’t. Houdini may have escaped from his cell, but he isn’t really free. Thaw doesn’t need to escape because he’s living the life in his cell. Thaw also knows that, because he is so rich, he’s not going to lose the trial. In reality, thanks to his wealth, Thaw is the free one, even though he’s the one in jail and on trial for murder. Thaw is living his best life while Houdini is performing daring escapes while trapped by his feelings. Houdini is a famous escape artist, but he’s mentioned how he isn’t always happy with what he does. He also mentions how he feels uncomfortable around rich people like Mother & Father, Thaw, and Mrs. Fish. Most of all, Houdini is trapped by his obsession with his mother. Even after her death, he cannot let go of her. It’s understandable that’s he’s grieving the loss of his mother, but he seems obsessed – he keeps a bunch of framed photos around his house & is investing a bunch of money into finding a way to speak with the dead.
In Ragtime, people like Thaw are free, thanks to their wealth, while others like Houdini aren’t, no matter how hard they try to escape.
I think it’s also interesting how this connects to our in-class discussion of Houdini – i.e, that he might be so popular among the lower/middle classes because he represents the idea of escape – escape against impossible odds. Houdini is thrown naked into a jail cell, but saunters out looking a gentleman. The system couldn’t hold him, the cell couldn’t hold him, the expectations of the guards and the warden couldn’t hold him, and when he emerges, he’s dressed like a member of the upper class. The idea of lower-class people seeing this act and being inspired to push back against the seriously stratified society they live in, is a positive idea.
ReplyDeleteBut, as you point out, that uplifting message, and Houdini’s popularity, are both complicated by Thaw, and, by extension, the upper classes. Yes, Houdini’s escapes are seen as metaphors for social mobility, and yes, Houdini is an inspiring figure to a trapped population. But Thaw doesn’t have to escape. Houdini can perform all the magic tricks in the world to escape his cell, but it doesn’t change the fact that Thaw doesn’t even need to escape his. He can simply manipulate the guards to bend to his whims. I imagine that connects to why the rich don’t appreciate Houdini’s art. The idea of escape is foreign to them, they take no inspiration from his art because they have no need to escape.
This is a really interesting thought as to why Houdini is only popular more among lower classes. The upper classes aren’t interested in escape simply because they never need to escape. Their money can buy them out of anything.
DeleteTrue, people say that money cannot buy happiness, but in Thaw’s case, his money is the only thing saving him. Plus, once Tateh makes big money by making movies, he appears to be much happier. I don’t know how much money Houdini had or didn’t have but it appears that Houdini will never be happy as long as his mother is dead, no matter how much money he has.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like Doctorow is criticizing the lack of social mobility at the time, through this scene. Houdini escapes ordeal after ordeal, overcoming his obstacles each time, but is ultimately unable to feel satisfied with his performances or free himself from his grief. Thaw, meanwhile, doesn't mind that he's been put in jail, since his sheer wealth overcomes his obstacles for him.
ReplyDeleteComing at this blog post from a perspective having read the whole book now, it's interesting just how complicated the idea of escaping inequality is among the characters. As you point out, it's what Houdini has been trying to do his whole life. He doesn't want to remain stuck in the lower classes as a laughing stock and novelty for the rich, so he pursues escaping as a literal means of escaping. But then you have someone like Tateh, who does seem to actually mobilize social classes, going from a Socialist living in the slums of New York to a wealthy film producer. And I honestly can't tell if there's a particular reason why Tateh "escapes" and Houdini just can't. It might just be Doctorow playing with how unpredictable mobilizing is. I think it might be him making fun of the ideas of the time again, showing that not everyone with "pluck and luck" will end up succeeding. But again, I'm honestly not too sure.
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