Ragtime | Teaching Key Figures

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

Harry K. Thaw - Man on trial for murdering his wife's lover.

Willie Conklin - The fire chief of the Emerald Isle Company, and the instigator of the actions against Coalhouse Walker.

Father - He owns a company that makes fireworks, flags, and other patriotic decorations. He is an explorer with a good reputation, invited to go along with Admiral Perry on an Arctic exploration.

Sigmund Freud - He visits the United States early in the book, experiences popular culture, and declares, "America is a mistake, a gigantic mistake."

Harry Houdini - He...
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