Houdini!

Harry Houdini was the world's most famous magician. He was an idol to many of the poor and common folk. He spent his entire life to the trade of magic and always tried to out due himself with a more amazing stunt than his last. The young boy in Ragtime tells us about this Harry Houdini and all the things he has done. Then Harry Houdini ends up at the family's home and is woven from that point on into the fabric of the story. Once again Doctorow uses these real people in his tale of early 1900s New York and surrounding areas. At one point Houdini is performing one of his popular escapes at a prison in which Thaw is being held at during his trial. Although there is no record of Houdini being at the prison at the same time Harry Thaw is there it does allow the reader to believe that maybe, just maybe, it could have happened. Doctorow also tells the unfortunate but interesting past time of Houdini after his beloved Mother's death. He set out along with a few others in rebuking spiritualists and "medium." Doctorow's spin on the story is very creative, he suggests that Houdini was looking for someone that could actually contact his Mother on the other side. The usage of Houdini allows the boy/narrator to unfold more events from his Point of View and an omniscient Point of View after he meets Harry Houdini.