Through characters' life experiences and endeavors in Roger Kahn's "The Boys of Summer" and E.L. Doctorow's "Ragtime," it is revealed that the American Dream is attainable.

A comparison of Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and Doctorow's "Ragtime."

Reviews the novel Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow. Examines how the novel's real life characters, including J.P. Morgan and Houdini, influenced their times. Also details how the fictional characters, Coalhouse Walker and Father represent what it meant to be searching for "proper alignment" in the United States during the early twentieth century.

Analyzes the E.L Doctorow novel, Ragtime. Explores the holy grail theme of the text. Describes how nonfictional characters in the story, such as Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan, and Emma Goldman, all embark on a quest, which can be defined either as foolish or noble.