JP Morgan believes that he was once an Egyptian Pharaoh. Whether he is just a senile old man searching for the answer to one of life's biggest questions, or actually the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, Morgan is convinced that he is been reincarnated, and will be again following his death, to lead the world forward. Morgan believes that only the very best and the brightest are the reincarnations of Egyptian Pharaohs, for example Henry Ford. However, during his disheartening experience inside the pyramid, his belief turns into a coping mechanism, as he realizes that he may not be a reincarnated pharaoh. However, by introducing the concept of reincarnation, Doctorow lets the reader
While he is in the pyramid, Morgan waited for a sign from Osiris so that he can connect with his Egyptian brethren. With his dream about being a simple commoner in ancient Egypt he seems to go into denial and claim that it was a false sign. I think it's worth noting that in Egyptian mythology, in order to enter the afterlife and be reborn your heart must be pure and free of sin. I'm not sure if Morgan would be considered free of sin given "acquisition" of art and the sarcophagus of Seti I (I'd assume it would be considered a sin to steal a dead pharaoh. I think this alone disqualifies him from rebirth.).
On the other hand, Doctorow alludes to Coalhouse Walker being a reincarnation of the literary character Michael Kohlhaas. I think it is fair to say that Coalhouse is a direct reference to Michael Kohlhaas (though the average reader would likely not deduce this), as they both face similar challenges and meet a similar fate. Considering that the Michael Kohlhaas story is an adaptation of a real life event involving Hans Kohlhaas, it seems as though Doctorow is suggesting a reincarnation of the Kohlhaas/Coalhouses to fight against their respective injustices. In this sense Doctorow is contradicting Morgan's view of reincarnation, that only the important people get reincarnated, instead suggesting that the "pure of heart" per se, who fight against injustices deserve reincarnation.
To again relate to the Egyptian mythology of rebirth, Coalhouse is seen as more deserving than Morgan. While Coalhouse does commit arson and kill several firemen, and I do not condone his actions, given that he was fighting for what is right, it could be seen that his heart is pure. I admit that this may be a stretch to the aforementioned logic regarding Morgan in relation to Egyptian mythology, but given Doctorow's love for subtle hints, I feel like it is a valid stretch.
I really like how you framed Morgan's realization as a coping mechanism. This is interesting to me, as we talked about Doctorow not giving characters much psychological depth (which is in line with postmodernism). In this case, it is possible that Doctorow creates this framework to function ironically - to show that Morgan is not as much as he says he is.
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you contrasted this to Coalhouse Walker, and I wonder if the same coping mechanism framework can be applied in this case. I agree that Doctorow paints Coalhouse in a better light than Morgan. Do you think that Coalhouse will be reborn again in the form of activists in the Black Power movement?
I find the idea of Coalhouse being more deserving for rebirth than Morgan to be an interesting one. Some people (including Morgan) would believe that Morgan would be more deserving considering his power and influence (especially considering Coalhouse was seen more or less as a terrorist). I could definitely see Doctorow subtly alluding to that, but even if he didn't I think it's something interesting to ponder.
ReplyDeleteI think it's absurdly funny how Doctorow foils JP Morgan's ideas about reincarnation and hierarchical anscestry while continuing the Michael Kohlhaas legacy in Coalhouse Walker. Maybe reincarnation is real, but JP Morgan has been looking in the wrong places. Maybe the line of leaders isn't for rich people but for those who tackle immense political issues by asserting their own power and independence within broken and oppressive systems.
ReplyDeleteIt find it so funny how JP Morgan stole a sarcophagus and still views his heart free from sin and the reincarnation of an Egyptian Pharaoh. It makes me wonder what other things JP Morgan is in denial about. I wonder if it could be viewed as symbolic how Coalhouse takes over Morgan's mansion, while being an obvious reincarnation.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of reincarnation and sin in Ragtime is interesting. Morgan is pretty explicitly sinful, and yet he is the one most convinced that he is reincarnated. The ending suggests to me that Morgan was delusional and was actually not reincarnated. On the other hand, Coalhouse was strongly suggested to be reincarnated. While he may have killed a few people, he was justify in those killings and they went toward a noble cause. I think that Doctorow is suggesting a different view of morality with Coalhouse and Morgan, one where morality is more defined by the end goal than the actions of an individual.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you looked deeper into Egyptian mythology for this. It would be just like Doctorow to research something like this for his book, and to just throw it in as a little hint. It also makes much more sense when looking at Morgan’s whole idea of reincarnation. Morgan couldn’t have been a reincarnation of one of the pharaohs because most of the time they weren’t pure of heart. He was instead a reincarnation of one of the simple street peddlers who made an honest living for himself. What’s interesting however is the idea that people mirror the actions of their past lives, like with Coalhouse imitating Kohlhaas. It makes me wonder if Morgan was imitating the Egyptian peddler in some way.
ReplyDeleteI really like the parallel you make between true Egyptian mythology and JP Morgan's attempts to contact Osiris. Then you even go further to show that Coalhouse is more deserving of reincarnation than JP Morgan and although he may never realize this, Doctorow just blatantly makes him into a sort of joke because everyone else who knows the story of Kolhaas? would have picked up on this
ReplyDeleteI think that in contrasting Morgan's ridiculous views of Reincarnation to the perhaps reincarnation of Coalhouse, Doctorow is critiquing the 'Great Man' theory of history which Morgan follows, while endorsing a more popular, from the ground up theory of events. Coalhouse as a character wasn't created, or reincarnated with all of his ideas already in place, he was brought up in a system which created and induced the actions he took.
ReplyDeleteBack to the reincarnation theme, another thing that seems to stick to me is Coalhouse's death. The fact that he seemed to be completely accepting of his death. Maybe Coalhouse knows something about reincarnation that we don't? Who knows...
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that in Morgan's dream he's simply just an ancient Egyptian commoner. To be fair, he inherited a bunch of money from his father and was never self made which justifies why he could see himself seen as a commoner since he didn't earn his inherited money. I also agree with the point that even if Morgan didn't kill people, he also didn't fight against injustice in the same manner that Coalhouse did.
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