When I was first introduced to Coalhouse Walker in Ragtime, I thought he was a highly respectable character. He had money, manners, and was taking responsibility for the child he fathered. Characters such as father and mother were shown to be shocked that Coalhouse was so well mannered, as it was not expected of his "social position" as a black man. On pg. 162, Father realizes "that Coalhouse Walker Jr. didn't know he was a Negro. The more he thought about this the more true it seemed. Walker didn't act or talk like a colored man. He seemed to be able to transform the customary deferences practiced by his race so that they reflected to his own dignity rather than the recipient's." Because Coalhouse Walker acts so respectable he feels that he deserves to be treated the same way. When he is disrespected by the volunteers at the thoroughfare, he is adamant that his car be restored and that he is apologized to. Following Sarah's death, Coalhouse soon becomes deranged and decides he is going to kill firemen and destroy firehouses until he gets his demands. Rather than the once respectable and good guy, he becomes exactly what white people would expect from a black man.
Coalhouse Walker is definitely placed in the story to demonstrate racial tensions at the time. The trashing of his Model-T was such an important part of his story. Rather than challenging the norm of how a black man should act, his anger resorts to violence. I thought his story would have a happy ending- he and Sarah would get married, they'd raise their child well and live happily ever after. But when his car was ruined, I knew that his story was taking a turn for the worse. Overall, Coalhouse Walker was a pivotal character in Ragtime who portrayed the race relations in the early 1900s through his encounters.
