hat draws the reader in to both the historical and psychological realities of the turn of the century. The transformations that take place in the main characters, such as that in Mother from a subdued Victorian housewife to an active, dynamic woman of social consciousness, underscores the transformations taking place throughout society in the Progressive Era. Thus ôRagtime,ö as indicated by the Ragtime music that infuses the lyrical prose of DoctorowÆs work, connotes change towards a freer and truer expression of inner self. As it relates to the social changes of the Progressive Movement, America on a larger scale underwent such a change. Reacting to the threat of industrialization and corporate monopolies on the American social consciousness, members of the Progressive Movement sought to preserve the essence of societyÆs humanity and, hand-in-hand with this, the middle and upper classÆs perception of positive values and an upstanding social order.
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