Ragtime

Father returns from his Arctic expedition to find Mother caring for the woman and her baby. He is shocked by the changes at home and in himself; he finds that physically, mentally, and emotionally he has changed after the expedition. He gives his family presents, but they are bemused at the bizarre gifts, which include bear skins and tea tins—“the embarrassing possessions of a savage” (110). Later, Mother initiates sex with Father, but he feels guilty because he cheated on his wife with an Eskimo woman on the expedition. Father and Mother’s Younger Brother meet to discuss the patriotic goods business. Mother’s Younger Brother is passionate about the work, throwing himself into his job after Evelyn Nesbit left him for a ragtime player. Father is disturbed by the inventions of Mother’s Younger Brother, which include unusual firecrackers and overly powerful bombs.

The little boy gathers a secret treasure trove of his family’s discarded goods, including Father’s trashed Arctic expedition journals and Evelyn’s relics, left behind by Mother’s Younger Brother. The boy collects discarded things, “alert not only to discarded materials but to unexpected events and coincidences” (115).