El Doctorow on the Elites
There are many things that El Doctorow uses to criticize America in different ways, but I just want to focus on Ford / J.P. Morgan. Two historical figures that Doctorow messes with constantly. These two people are symbols of America one way or another. We all have heard of Ford's innovation in the factory to revolutionize the way things are made to this day. J.P. Morgan may not be taught in our history classes to the same degree, but his name is on one of the most powerful companies in America. We all know these names and they are commonly lifted up in American mythology. El Doctorow takes these highly respected names and embarrasses them to the highest degree. With J.P. Morgan, he makes fun of how he might think of himself as a God. I particularly like the line “To Morgan, the disfigurement of his monstrous nose was the touch of God upon him, the assurance of mortality” (139-40). J.P. Morgan is so full of himself that he needs a huge big red nose to remind him that he is n...