MYB vs Thor Wintergreen
After reading Ragtime, Ishmael Reed’s Mumbo Jumbo seemed vastly different from the stories of Houdini, Coalhouse Walker, Tateh, and Mother and Father. So, when reading through Chapter 13, I thought it would be easy to talk about the similarities between Thor Wintergreen and Mother’s Younger Brother in a blog post. After all, Thor is the only white person in a group of minorities, and MYB is the only white person in Coalhouse Walker’s gang of African Americans. Additionally, both of their gangs are committing crimes with good intentions. However, after reading further, I realized that there were many clear distinctions between Thor and MYB.
To start, it’s clear that Thor’s group looks down on him far more than MYB’s group. This is not only because Thor is white, but he’s also the son of a well-known tycoon, so Yellow Jack and Jose Fuentes believe that he has ulterior motives. In contrast, MYB’s family isn’t famous, and he is quickly integrated into the community. After Yellow Jack and Jose Fuentes doubt Thor’s motives, Thor seems to be more hesitant on joining the group in fear of causing trouble and less eager to help them, as he appears to dislike his responsibilities as a member of the group. The group’s doubts in him may have helped Biff Musclewhite persuade Thor to let him go, as Thor starts to doubt whether the group actually likes him and whether the group is actually working for a good cause.
As more is read about Thor, it’s clear that his personality is very different from MYB, who is incredibly antisocial and seems almost robotic. Thor seems to be far more social, attending the party in Harlem and standing up for himself against Fuentes, Yellow Jacket, and the waiter who criticizes him for hanging out with African Americans. In contrast, MYB’s awkwardness in social situations would probably prevent him from standing up for himself. In addition, he seems heartless, as he’s willing to die for the causes he fights for and take many lives using his expertise in explosives. Biff Musclewhite uses Thor’s emotion to get Thor to release him, which leads to him killing Berbalang and Charlotte.
It’s clear that although Thor and MYB are characters who represent similar roles, they are clearly different, partly because of their group and partly because of their own personalities. In the end, Thor and his emotions make things turn out terribly for the Mu’tafikah, whereas MYB and his heartlessness help Coalhouse and his gang eventually succeed in getting the Ford Model T restored.
I think MYB's willingness to blindly sacrifice his life for a cause if why he's so quickly integrated into the groups that he joins. Since Thor is more likely to think autonomously and stand up for himself, people could feel that Thor isn't entirely committed to their cause. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Thor and MYB's characters are different in their actions and thoughts. Thor has not had much exposure to being in the "real world" outside of his father's elitist circle, but MYB has had some experiences that give him a "common man" view of the world. I also found interesting how both characters' decisions led to different outcomes: Thor's led to failure while MYB's led to success. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAll really good points about the various groups' attitudes towards the inclusion of a white member. I think the point about status and wealth is especially relevant in our postmodernist context. I think the way the two characters ultimately end up acting is symbolic of the writer's attitudes towards the concept of a white revolutionary/ally to a degree.
ReplyDeleteThe backgrounds of the characters are clear to making the distinction in their respective stories. Mother's Younger Brother had already seen much of the world and tried so many different avenues in finding his purpose, failing in many of them until finally finding his motivation as part of Coalhouse's gang and being a revolutionary. It felt like MYB was simply a fleeting presence that showed up throughout Ragtime On the other hand, Thor represented a more privileged, shielded demographic which makes Thor struggle in his time with the other Art Snatchers. Great comparisons.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a lot of good points. I think one thing that sets MYB and Wintergreen apart is their true dedication (or lack thereof) to their respective causes. MYB seemed fully dedicated to Coalhouse and definitely was ready to go to jail or die for him. On the other hand, Wintergreen seemed more reserved to me. It's interesting to see how differently two characters with similar stories are depicted. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGood point - MYB was definitely more dedicated. I wonder if these differences have some to do with the author's writing styles? While Reed didn't spend a ton of time developing character, I do think that his book was more character driven than Doctorow's, and maybe Doctorow just didn't fit in as much personality and character development for MYB while he was busy satirizing everything.
DeleteI agree that there is a clear difference in devotion between the two characters, and I liked Brook's description of MYB as almost robotic. However, just as Thor wasn't that invested in the Mu'tafika, MYB seemed to be similarly disinterested in Walker's cause and was simply intent on finding his purpose in life and a group he could fit into. MYB was driven by selfish reasons, which kind of made him a bad ally too, even though he didn't actually betray the cause.
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