The story of the Holy Grail draws many to the table of quests. From Sir Lancalot to the epic quest of Monty Python, different peoples have set off on a quest to find a mythological cup that will somehow grant them eternal life. Though many hoped to find the cup, the motive behind their quest varied. The Fisher King, hoped to find the cup of life to complete his destiny while Adolph simply to live forever. Some quests for the cup where noble while others, just foolish. The quests undertaken by characters in E.L Doctorow's Ragtime are classified as such. Non-Fictional figures in Ragtime such as Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan, and Emma Goldman, all embark on a quest, which can be defined either as foolish or noble.

J.P. Morgan embarks on his epic quest to prove that he is part of the lineage of the...