Taken at face value, the answer is pretty simple: a $25 toll costs $25. Duh. But in the case of Coalhouse Walker, the Emerald Isle firemen, and the $25 illegal toll, it winds up costing much, much more.
First and foremost, what we see as a $25 toll, and what Coalhouse sees as a $25 toll, are two greatly separate things. Two hours of babysitting would cover such a toll, for me. Meanwhile, thanks to inflation, that $25 toll is equal to $619. Coalhouse is going to have to babysit a lot of high-maintenance children, for many hours, to pay that off...
The thing is...the toll isn't about the money. And the biggest costs of the toll aren't financial. This toll leads to numerous events with physical costs, from cars to lives, and to numerous emotional stresses, that in the end, are impossible to give a dollar value.
First off, by refusing to pay the $25 toll on its illegal basis, and since he refused to concede to the white men, his car is vandalized while he goes to the police, the damages well over a $25 value. And then, when he refuses to concede, is arrested and has to pay $50 in bail. But Coalhouse isn't done yet, having "rushed off to the train station saying only he'd make good the sum" (p. 179).
When they go back to the car, still out by the firehouse, it has been completely vandalized. A Model T sold in 1912 for $590 ($14,615 today). Coalhouse consults lawyers in vain, trying to see if a case could be made for him, to no avail.The expenses Coalhouse has accrued, in trying to be compensated for not paying a $25 toll, are over 30 times what that original fine would have been.
But then, things get even worse, when Sarah tries a perfectly reasonable, respectable way to draw attention towards the case and perhaps get compensation for her fiancee, who's called off the wedding until things get settled (perhaps the undoubtably present strains this puts on their relationship could also be considered a cost?). One of the tenets of American democracy, which was being constantly praised and brought up at the time of the novel's publishing around the bicentennial, is the ability to elect officials, who then represent their people. So when she goes to try and get the support of Vice President James Sherman, you would think that the worst thing that would happen was a no.
But alas, that was not to be the case. Following a string of assassination attempts, a confused Sarah (shouting out to who she thinks is the president) runs up, and is butted with a rifle end, severely injuring her and contributing to a contraction of pneumonia, ultimately causing her to pass away. Material items can be replaced, but Sarah cannot. Coalhouse has lost much more important things than possessions at this point.
And then, the firehouse blows up. This is no coincidence. The fire department's horses are shot and killed, along with the driver of the firecart. The cart tips over, leading to the explosion of the steam boiler destroying the firehouse. Who could have such a grudge against a fire department to destroy it and kill its members? Coalhouse Walker fits the bill, and he actually "had already taken several steps to identify himself with the crime" (p. 211). The cost of this toll doesn't just affect Coalhouse and his allies anymore...the instigators of these incidences have now paid, some with their lives and others with their occupation. The lives cannot be replaced, and the firehouse, horses, and fire truck will be much more expensive to replace than the $25 bill they charged.
Meanwhile, Coalhouse's life has undoubtedly been ruined by these events. Having lost much of his material possessions and his fiancee, there can't be much left for him to lose. Coalhouse has exhausted the respectable options with which to deal with the toll, and now seeking revenge for the damages against him, now much more than just what is now a measly $25, will resort to whatever means are necessary, even if it means murder, arson, and certain imprisonment and punishment once (if, that is) he is arrested.
As shown here, the toll incident cost a lot more people a lot more than just the initial $25 fee given to Coalhouse. Numerous people have died, lives have been ruined, and numerous things have been destroyed. Why did this all have to happen? Why did the firefighters have to do it in the first place? Why did Coalhouse not just go along? Hindsight is 20/20, but everybody could've wound up a lot better if nothing had ever happened. Things aren't always worth as much as they seem on face value...
Putting it in historical perspective, a sum of $619 would be a ludicrous toll to pay in any sense, even for say speeding or parking tickets. Good research dude!
ReplyDeleteWe explored this extensively in class, but a hot topic of debate of what the balance of passive nonviolence ('ingratiating oneself in their race') to militant defiance is respectable, and at some point Coalhouse really did breach some unspoken line on the matter. But I just can't get behind the idea that the "best" course of action would have been for Coalhouse to pay the toll. I mean, sure, if it was going to be a one-time thing and then he never sees the firemen again, but think about it--this type of thing could happen much more often than that isolated incident. Is Coalhouse responsible for paying the $25 (or, rather, $619) each way? That's a crazy sum when we account for inflation, and it doesn't really seem to be an option to continue paying fees. I do agree with the fact that there has to be a balance. It's easy to note what could have been done in retrospect, but that's not the way life works. Because of Coalhouse's attitude, and how much he values respect and equality, I guess there was a different price to pay.
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ReplyDeleteNice post! The toll and Coalhouse's refusal to pay it may seem like inconsequential events which were blown way out of proportion, but I think that neither was really the cause of the violence carried out between CW's gang and the authorities. It's like the assassination detailed in the later parts of the book: that of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which, on its own would have been relatively inconsequential, but which sparked one of the most destructive wars in all of human history. The spark exploded like it did and caused the war only because Europe, with all of its alliances and international uneasiness, was completely soaked in gasoline or lighter fluid--something very flammable. In a sense the flammability caused the war, not the spark. And now that I've confused you with a three-way analogy, I can make my point that it was the larger issues: the extreme racial tumult and injustice that characterized the era, which caused the clash between CW and the police, not the toll or even Sarah's death. The cost of hundred of years of racial prejudice is as high as we would expect it to be.
ReplyDeleteI know you're aware of this, but it's worth pointing out anyway: the $25 is not a *toll*. The firefighters have no authority to impose a toll on this public road, and they sure aren't going to send the $25 off to the local government for road maintenance. A "toll" implies a fee that is charged equally and without discrimination to all travelers on the road, with some kind of official sanction. Coalhouse is fully aware that, at best, this is a "prank"--and there is an underlying threat of violence and intimidation here, if he doesn't pay (his path forward or backward is blocked; he's surrounded by hostile white men who are actively seeking to harass him). There is clearly no official sanction for this "toll," but then Coalhouse can't get anyone in an official position to affirm this fact.
ReplyDeleteSo it's a "toll" in the sense that a toll is indeed taken on Coalhouse here--as you say, far more expensive than the initial charge. But the initial charge is totally bogus, so he has not obligation to pay it.