Father's Paternalism in Ragtime

    Oxford English Dictionary defines paternalism as "The policy or practice of restricting the freedoms and responsibilities of subordinates or dependants in what is considered or claimed to be their best interests." This idea is popular throughout American history, one example is how White southerners used paternalism to defend slaver. Typically, thanks to a Eurocentric society and culture, minorities are treated like children, often portrayed as infantile in their own culture and needing the protection or guidance of white people. Themes of paternalism are shown and explored in ragtime, particularly through the character of Father.

The ideas of paternalism in Ragtime are clearly shown in the exploration to the north pole. These ideas are very clearly shown in Father's trip. First, when he remembers his time in service in the Philippines and his observations on the people, he agreed with the comment made by a staff officer, "Our little brown brothers have to be taught a lesson." Afterwards, Father begins to generalize and infantilize the Eskimo culture. "There was no question that the Eskimos were primitives. They were affectionate, gentle, emotional, trustworthy and full of pranks. They loved to laugh and sing." Father views the Eskimos as some sort of work animals, primitive and wild, but with skill the normal civilized white person doesn't. This idea is seen by the quote "Peary defined the virtues of Eskimos as loyalty and obedience, roughly the same virtues one sought in the dogs." It is also interesting to see how Peary's system adopts the Eskimo way of surviving in the cold, yet he and Father are very willing to scold the Eskimo for not doing their assigned chore properly. But this line Father constructs between the Eskimo and himself is broken when he sleeps with an Eskimo woman. The constructs Father believes separates himself from the Eskimos seem to disappear after his trip. He smells the "fish" he associates with the Eskimos on him on him. When he returns to his family he is more pale and weaker. He experiences some sort of cognitive dissonance between his thoughts on the innate differences between him and the Eskimos and the reality that he "lowered" himself to the level of the Eskimos.

Fathers Racist and Paternalistic views also extend to the black characters in ragtime. The first example in the story is with Matthew Henson. While it seems like father respects Henson's skills as an explorer, he seemed to get angry when Henson suggests he should go to the north pole with Peary. An explanation I have come up for why Father got angry as, in his eyes, Henson's confidence violates the prejudices Father has about him. Father seems to regard himself as more important than Henson, despite Henson working much harder, and when it seems like Henson is about to earn something father will not, he becomes jealous. Additionally, It is also the fact that Henson perceives himself as superior to Father, he is presumptuous enough to tell father that he should be the one to go with Peary to the north pole, that also upsets him. Another instance of Father's paternalism is shown with Coalhouse Walker Jr. When father first notices Coalhouse, he mentions how he does not obey the "deferences natural to his race." Coalhouse isn't amazed by fathers home nor the tea he is served. Additionally, when Coalhouse plays the piano, Father is the one who seems ignorant by not knowing much about ragtime and using offensive language to Coalhouses face. But the passage that really highlights Father's paternalistic views is the following one. "It occurred to father one day that Coalhouse Walker Jr. didn't know he was a Negro. The more he thought about this the more true it seemed. Walker didn't act or talk like a colored man. He seemed to be able to transform the customary deferences practiced by his race so that they reflected to his own dignity rather than the recipient's. When he arrived at the back door he gave it a stout rap and when admitted would solemnly greet everyone and somehow convey to them the feeling that they were Sarah's family, and that his courtesies to them simply measured the regard and respect he held for her. Father recognized certain dangers in the man. Perhaps we shouldn't encourage his suit, he said to Mother. There is something reckless about him. Even Mathew Henson knew his place." Now it is clear why Father is so disturbed by Coalhouse's actions. By "not knowing his place" Coalhouse challenges Father's stereotypes and prejudices directly. By treating Father and Mother as equals, Coalhouse indirectly brings out Father's ignorance.