Tateh's Great Escape
In E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime , the motif of "escape" appears in many places and in many ways throughout the story. In fact, one of the most central ideas the book repeatedly explores - the near-omnipresent optimism in the "American Dream" at the dawn of the 20th century - closely relates to this central motif. At the core of that belief was the thought that anyone could succeed, regardless of their social status or any other characteristics, hence, "escaping" from societal constraints. The stories of almost all characters in Ragtime relate to this motif of escape too, whether they do so literally (like Houdini,) figuratively, or through a mix of both. Several characters' lives also include elements of the American Dream as well, moving up from situations where it sometimes seemed like the odds were completely stacked against them to become extremely successful and wealthy people (except for J.P. Morgan, of course, who is so disgustingly rich th...