Ragged Dick By Horatio Alger Character Analysis

Horatio Alger, a prolific 19th century author, is best known for his ‘rags to riches’ stories. Ragged Dick or Life Among the Boot Blacks is grouped among these “rags to riches” stories. Some, however, like the University of Maryland's Carl Bode, argued that a more befitting categorization for the book would be ‘rag to respectability’ instead. I agree with Mr. Bode’s assessment. Richard Hunter, more commonly referred to as ‘Ragged Dick’, is the novel’s protagonist. His story would fill a series of twelve books about his life and his rise to respectability. These stories were bestsellers in their time, especially among young male readers. What made Alger’s stories so appealing were his use of characters, moral themes and the location, New York City. Alger’s character development helped make Ragged Dick a huge success.
Richard Hunter, or Dick, as our hero is more commonly reffered, is an honorable, hardworking boot black with an honest face. This honest face, a bit of eavesdropping, and enough of a business sense to know a good opportunity when he hears one, bring us to the Whitneys. The …show more content…
The city of New York and the well known locations within the city play an important role in the story of Dick’s rise from a simple bootblack to a young man of respectability. From Central Park to the garment district to the New York City ferries, the city itself becomes a character. Dick may not have come to New York City with the express idea to gain wealth or to fulfill a long held dream, but once there, he dreams of respectability and takes the steps necessary to see his dream become a reality. Alger confirms this in his narrative, “The new vision of respectability which now floated before Dick’s mind, owing to his recent acquaintance with Frank…” (61) Dick, Richard Hunter, was starting to dream of a better life like most, who find themselves drawn to the city of New