In Ragged Dick, Horatio Alger paints a picture of a young boy defying the odds. A young boy who sleeps on the street, that has good principals and a desire to succeed, becomes a respectable business man. The so-called capitalist boy hero Ragged Dick is meant to be an inspiration to children, with good morale’s and a desire to work hard you can turn yourself into anything you want to be. However, the story of Ragged Dick is a fantasy filled with coincidence and unreasonable expectations of others. The story of Ragged Dick is no longer possible today. Ragged Dick, still has valuable morale lessons for many children such as never stealing, always being respectful, and always doing the right thing. The main principal of the story, you can be anything
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In America today, many children face the same burning passion to start a new life and leave their past behind them that is portrayed by Ragged Dick. The American Dream, the thought that you can make yourself into anything you want to be is the central theme in Horatio Alger’s Ragged Dick. This theme is not new it is something that has been around for centuries and was first suggested by Leonardo Da Vinci in the fifteenth century. However, in our current society Alger’s portrayed American Dream is no longer obtainable. For example, in “The Unsocial “Purfessional” Revisiting Horatio Alger’s Ragged Dick” Lisa Fluet states “The 25 percent number has since dropped, according to Krugman, to only 10 percent; now, very few children of the lower class are making their way to even moderate influence” (Fluet). This shows that in modern America the theory that you can make yourself into anything you want to be or the so called American Dream is becoming harder and harder to obtain. Alger alludes to this by showing the great coincidences that occur to Dick on his journey to become a respectable man. These coincidences occur multiple times throughout the story the first being …show more content…
Throughout the story Dick displays multiple positive qualities but his most important qualities are that he is always is honest and hardworking. These two qualities are the main reasons that Dick succeeds throughout the story there also the reason anybody offers to help him. Mr. Greyson offers to help him for these very reasons for example he states, “You evidently have some good principals to start with, as you have shown by your scorn of dishonesty. I shall hope good things of you in the future”. (Alger 96) This shows the value of always doing the right thing Dick always stuck to his principals and was rewarded with a mentor when it may have been easier to just steal and make a living by performing dishonest acts. Another thing highly valued by Dick is education early in the story Dick is aware that other people have an advantage over him when it comes to jobs and being respected because they are educated and can read and write. Realizing this he has his roommate Henry Fosdick tutor him and he becomes self-educated. Honest, hardworking and educated are three of the most important lessons to take away from Ragged Dick. Even if it is getting harder and harder to make something out of yourself doing the right thing and living with the right principals can take you a long
In America today, many children face the same burning passion to start a new life and leave their past behind them that is portrayed by Ragged Dick. The American Dream, the thought that you can make yourself into anything you want to be is the central theme in Horatio Alger’s Ragged Dick. This theme is not new it is something that has been around for centuries and was first suggested by Leonardo Da Vinci in the fifteenth century. However, in our current society Alger’s portrayed American Dream is no longer obtainable. For example, in “The Unsocial “Purfessional” Revisiting Horatio Alger’s Ragged Dick” Lisa Fluet states “The 25 percent number has since dropped, according to Krugman, to only 10 percent; now, very few children of the lower class are making their way to even moderate influence” (Fluet). This shows that in modern America the theory that you can make yourself into anything you want to be or the so called American Dream is becoming harder and harder to obtain. Alger alludes to this by showing the great coincidences that occur to Dick on his journey to become a respectable man. These coincidences occur multiple times throughout the story the first being …show more content…
Throughout the story Dick displays multiple positive qualities but his most important qualities are that he is always is honest and hardworking. These two qualities are the main reasons that Dick succeeds throughout the story there also the reason anybody offers to help him. Mr. Greyson offers to help him for these very reasons for example he states, “You evidently have some good principals to start with, as you have shown by your scorn of dishonesty. I shall hope good things of you in the future”. (Alger 96) This shows the value of always doing the right thing Dick always stuck to his principals and was rewarded with a mentor when it may have been easier to just steal and make a living by performing dishonest acts. Another thing highly valued by Dick is education early in the story Dick is aware that other people have an advantage over him when it comes to jobs and being respected because they are educated and can read and write. Realizing this he has his roommate Henry Fosdick tutor him and he becomes self-educated. Honest, hardworking and educated are three of the most important lessons to take away from Ragged Dick. Even if it is getting harder and harder to make something out of yourself doing the right thing and living with the right principals can take you a long