Tateh Sacrifice In Ragtime

For many immigrants moving to America, their ultimate goal is to achieve the American Dream. For many of the characters within the historical fiction, Ragtime, written by E. L. Doctorow, they are also striving for the American Dream. There are also characters who have achieved the American Dream or had become the symbol for the American Dream. For Tateh, a Jewish immigrant, he managed to achieve the American Dream, however, he has sacrificed... His first sacrifice was the abandonment of his wife, it is this event that brought the American idea of the American Dream to his attention. His second sacrifice was his stability, even though he did not live in comfort, his life in New York was stable. His third sacrifice was his past, by presenting himself as Baron, he has effectively erased the man called Tateh from the world. His last sacrifice was his façade, he presented himself to Mother as Baron at first, yet he presented himself as Tateh to ask for her hand in marriage.
Tateh was introduced as a peddler at the beginning of the book, a Jewish immigrant who had come to America to achieve the American Dream. He soon
After arriving in Philadelphia, he struck a deal with a local food company, providing more than enough money for himself and his daughter for the rest of their lives. This is the point where Tateh sacrifices his past for the American dream. Tateh gives up his name and adopts the title of Baron. By abandoning his name, he is invalidating the actions taken by Tateh. In addition, he is invalidating the experiences felt by Tateh. This shows that Baron is escaping from the shadows of Tateh, hoping not to repeat the same mistakes and experience the same hardship as Tateh. The title of Baron goes against Tateh's socialism, for it is unheard of for a person to have a noble title in a society everyone is equal. The combined abandonment of his name and his beliefs, Baron has truly sacrificed to achieve the American