West Side Story Vs. Ragtime

Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story and Stephen Sondheim's Ragtime have similar and relating themes intertwined throughout each of their storylines. Each play portrays different ethnic groups that have immigrated into America and how these ethnic groups are treated and accepted by the dominate race, the Whites. Both Ragtime and West Side Story depict the initial idealistic view that the immigrants have of America. It is not until the immigrants in each play are actually experiencing …

…and Jets come together to move his body and audience gets the sense that the two groups will begin taking steps to begin living in peace with one another. Similar to West Side Story, Ragtime ends with an image of the races merging together when Mother marries Tateh and they raise their own children and Little Coalhouse. This image symbolizes the races merging together and striving towards the American dream of freedom, success, and equality.