Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan's Bromance
An interesting part of the book Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow that stood out to me was the strange scenes introducing Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan. These two juxtaposing rich influential men of the early 1900s stand out after the previous chapters had us reading about Tateh and his daughter. Henry Ford and J.P. do go on to play a role in the more central plot line of the story. As Henry Ford's manufactured Model T was one that Coalhause drove and then was destroyed and J.P. Morgans Library was the setting for the Coalhause's break-in and final stand. Henry Ford and J.P Morgan shared some very distinct similarities, as both are very wealthy leaders in their fields of production and business and were believers in reincarnation. this shared belief is what led them to found their secret club, The Pyramid.
E.L. Doctorow writes about Henry Ford in a much more serious manner. Doctorow introduces Ford's beliefs in Chapter 18 when he describes Ford as "long believed that most human beings were too dumb to make a good living." Previous to this quote it is written how Ford employed many foreign-borns, so combining these two statements we can see a bigger picture of Henry Ford's racism. When he meets with J.P. Morgan we can then understand how he aligns with the belief of reincarnation.
J.P. is written with some of the most irony of any character in this book. In his introduction, he is surrounded by his assistants and aids "circling him like birds" and even his chauffeur driver thanks him "profusely." When later we hear more about Morgan's reincarnation beliefs, he is displayed as much more emotionally invested. He was "florid with excitement" telling the stories of old societies and the conspiracy of modern science. He is filled with energy and passion, but Ford sits comfortably silent and hilariously just tells Morgan to read a book. This exchange perfectly captures their two differing thinking, I see J.P. Morgan as the going and taking-it-all-all type, he has expanded his family's riches drastically and "controlled 741 directorships in 112 corporations." Contrastly, Henry Ford was a man of optimization, using the automatic factory line to duplicate cars in less than 6 minutes. So, when Morgan proposes his elaborate idea for the both of them to sail the Nile to learn of ancient Egypt, it is perfect when Henry Ford tells him to read a book. Quite the more efficient and cost-effective solution.
In the pages of Ragtime E.L. Doctorow weaves together the tales of Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan, two iconic figures of the early 1900s. Their contrasting personas create a fascinating dynamic. The intersection of their characters not only sets up the stage for the future narrative but also serves as a lens through which Doctorow explores broader themes of power, wealth, and societal change.
This is a nice Blog Post, Nate! I hadn't really thought too much about Morgan and Ford, especially considering they aren't really directly brought up much at all after the events of their exchange, but I enjoy how your blog post brings up the contrasts between the two both irony-wise, and character-wise. The dichotomy of Ford's "efficiency and optimization" type personality, and Morgan's "over-the-top and grandiose" personality, which is being matched with their respective ideas and responses to each other is genuinely a clever connection you made that went over my head.
ReplyDeleteThe scene with JP Morgan and Ford talking about reincarnation where Ford tells him to just read a book was one of my favorite scenes in Ragtime. Both depictions of the characters were really intriguing and showed a lot about Doctorow's view of the two figures with the cartoonish Egypt fetish from Morgan and Ford's stereotypical efficency maniac businessman. I think its clear Doctorow disliked power hungry businessmen of the early 1900's, or at least didn't care to respect their images. Both men had huge amounts of wealth and were quite influential, but by reading this book they come across as imbeciles. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteGood point that both Ford and Morgan indirectly are brought together at the end during the Coalhouse standoff. Indeed, we see a kind of ironic reversal of Ford's signature invention (the assembly line) when Conklin is forced to rebuild the Model T from the ground up, all alone, cursing and sweating (thereby proving Ford's essential point that the assembly line makes for an easier process). And while it's only the Ford company that provides the parts for this one-man assembly, we do get Morgan having the "last word" on the Coalhouse conflict, shunning it as a story about a "mad black man in his library" which is "soon forgotten."
ReplyDeleteI find what you have to say about this relationship really interesting, Nate! Particularly about how you discuss Ford's character. It makes a lot of sense that a man so influential in revolutionizing industrial efficiency would be a man who cares so much about simple efficiencies like mental beliefs. He definitely would be a man with little interest in wasting time, as he was so obsessed with getting his workplace efficient to the second. Your analysis of Morgan is also quite nice, as I agree that Doctorow certainly portrays him in the most ironic light. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Nate, that Ford and Morgan don't drive the plot forward in Ragtime, but they establish the sort of power dynamic induced by money in early 20th century America. Moreover, they represent two egotisticaly individuals who believe they're rich because god made them that way and they're deserving of it. I'm still struggling to find a deeper meaning in the fact that Coalhouse Walkers owns a Ford, but maybe it's just Doctorow trying to add more connections in the novel so it seems more historical? Idk, I'd like to hear someone else's thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI think that what separates Morgan and Ford are what they represent; Morgan is an old aristocratic/cultured/worldly rich guy whereas Ford is almost like a pragmatic/new-age/minimalistic rich guy. On one hand, I feel like Doctorow's ironic treatment of Morgan, and conversely, his slight favoring of Ford, perhaps reflects a comparison of the "old and aristocratic" modernist era and the "new-age" postmodernist era. I think if anything, this exhibition of these two mega-rich individuals further steep the story in a "historically true" soup to give this book an appearance of authority and to better set the timeframe (it could be argued that if the story were focused largely on the progression of the New Rochelle family, the flow/benchmarking of time would be less clear).
ReplyDeleteI think the two are different but Doctorow views them as very alike. Yes, I do think that J.P. is written as maybe a more emotionally connected individual than Ford, and Ford is embodying industrial revolution. Ford does seem more straightforward and less like he's living in La La Land. Yet, Doctorow writing about both of them in the same sort of "section" in the book really speaks to the way he views the 1% of the time period.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of the relation between Ford and Morgan as a bromance, but when you put it that way it totally makes sense! I wish we had gotten to see more of both Ford and Morgan, especially with how different their ideologies are. Morgan is possibly the most powerful man in the world at that point and regardless Ford just dismisses him, going as far as to insult his intelligence. Regardless of power, success, or wealth, Ford truly believes most people are no where near as smart as he is. Great post!
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