The Brooklyn Nine

Gratz uses historical events and details to support his generational tale, most notably by tracing the development of baseball through the eyes of the Schneiders. Felix describes “Three-Out, All-Out,” which is an earlier form of the game that will, by the end of the novel, turn into baseball as it is played professionally in modern America. Gratz even introduces a real historical figure—Andrew Cartwright—who is sometimes considered the father of baseball and who is famous for founding the New York Knickerbockers Baseball Club in the 1840s. The real Cartwright was also a volunteer firefighter, adding realism to his portrayal as a firefighter in the brigade.

The fire that Cartwright and Felix battle also likely refers to a historical event: The Great New York City Fire of 1845. Though this fire also resulted in an explosion, it wasn’t a strategic one. A few hours into the 1845 fire, a saltpeter-stocked warehouse on Broad Street exploded just after firefighters from Engine Co. 22 evacuated the area. The explosion destroyed several buildings, injured firefighters, and spread the fire widely; it was so powerful that it shattered windows a mile away. The warehouse managers, Crocker and Warren, were arrested under suspicion of storing gunpowder, although they were later exonerated. This tragic event is commemorated at Trinity Churchyard, honoring fallen volunteer firefighters.

Gratz’s incorporation of real historical events and figures alongside fictional ones in the novels allows a multifaceted toolkit for enriching the narrative. It adds authenticity and depth, grounding the story in a recognizable reality and providing a contextual backdrop that deepens thematic exploration. This approach enhances emotional resonance, as readers connect with familiar historical elements, and allows Gratz to offer commentary on societal and historical issues, like racism and the immigrant experience—topics the novel will address more fully in later sections.

Gratz’s choice to follow the different generations of Schneiders reveals both how much things change over time and how there are some things that will pass throughout history little altered. For example, while the game of baseball changes, its enduring presence in the lives of the many Schneiders and in American culture remains. Symbols of the Schneider family’s connection to baseball also endure the test of time. Felix’s shoes will reappear at the end of the novel, tying what happens in the past to what happens in the present—in America, in baseball, and in the Schneider family. Family names will have changed, and America will have changed, but the thread of baseball will entwine the stories together.

Gratz also makes a clear connection between baseball and the immigrant experience. America is a country of immigrants, and baseball was brought by immigrants to America. As Cartwright explains, this tie demonstrates how in some ways, America and baseball are synonymous: “I think maybe baseball is America. The spirit of it, at least. Something we brought with us from the Old World and made our own, the way we made this country” (29).

Though immigrants brought the game of baseball to the US, the question of who brought the game is perceived as a real American begins early in the novel. When Felix goes to deliver his goods, he notices a difference between the areas where different groups of people live, providing the foundation for the novel’s theme of Racial Discrimination and Its Systemic Effects. He notes that the wealthier area is where “real” Americans live. This demonstrates the degree to which he feels he does not belong in the country, stemming from prejudices he has experienced. While his observations are made mainly about class divides, these divisions promote the discrimination that Felix’s descendants will encounter later.

In Felix’s lifetime, the question of changing the family’s name has already begun to surface, thematically developing the topic of racial discrimination. The Schneider name is easily identifiable as being German, and thus it is a liability to the family in America. It is also a tie to both their cultural and their familial past, so to change the name is to wholly assimilate to American culture and fail to respect their heritage. Albert realizes practically that changing his name will mean he has an easier time finding a job in America; while he never takes this action, the fact that he considers the name change demonstrates the difficulty immigrants faced in American culture at this time in history.

Gratz indicates that another thread connecting the Schneiders is their bravery, developing the theme Bravery in the Face of Fear. Felix runs away from the safety of home to help build a life for himself and his family in America. Once there, he boldly fights the Manhattan fire and even sets off an explosive, relying on speed alone to save his life. Felix’s traits of bravery and his tendency to sacrifice his wellbeing for others is a thread we’ll see in his descendants’ stories, such as in Part 2 when Felix’s son, Louis, will risk his life to save a stranger.