Ragged Dick

Gorman Beauchamp

'... the Alger hero seldom, if in fact ever, rises from rags to riches; instead, he achieves a comfortable middle class niche in what today would correspond to an entry-level executive trainee program...'

Ragged Dick is often said to set up the 'Alger formula' of a story that features a young boy struggling and uses hard work and respect, as well as luck, to work his way up through the social classes. They are often called rags to riches story due to this nature of the stories. However, some people would argue that rags to riches is not the right way of putting it, offering other suggestions such as rags to respectability. As is pointed out in Beauchamp's article, rags to riches may not be an accurate description as the central figures of Alger's novels, such as Dick, do not come in to wealth or large amounts of money, rather they end up in respectable jobs often held by the middle classes. Dick's experience of this is when he is offered the job of clerk by Mr. Rockwell. Clerk is not a necessarily high paying job, but it is a middle class job and certainly better than shoe shining. Secondly, Dick goes through a transformation throughout the book in his appearance and the clothes he wears. This transformation is best summed up when he introduces himself as Richard Hunter. This rather completes his transformation from Ragged Dick the bootblack to Richard Hunter, Esq. This key transformation of Dick presents him as a more respectable person, suggesting that the phrase rags to respectability is more appropriate.

Cara Erdheim

'... says Pitofsky, who claims that Ragged Dick is less about selfish individualism and more about assimilation into an upwardly mobile community.'

This quote suggests that Alger uses Ragged Dick as a way to discuss and promote assimilation into a community as opposed to the strength of individualism. Individualism is believed by some to be the key message behind Ragged Dick, suggesting that Dick is able to move up the social ladder thanks to his hard work and looking out for himself. However, Erdheim suggests that Pitofsky believes that this focus on individualism is insignificant and Alger's focus is on meritocracy. The assimilation into higher social classes can be seen in Ragged Dick by the way in which Dick is aided by adults in several situations. For example, Mr Whitney gives him his first suit. Mr Whitney is a part of the middle class and, by giving Dick a suit, opens up the door into the middle class for Dick. The suit makes him look more respectable. This is important as first impressions were key at this time. The help that Dick receives from those already part of the middle class which he aspires to join, shows that it is the help that is key to his success and not solely his hard work and individualism.

John Swansburg

'... the hero's rise is the result of good luck and the good offices of a wealthy benefactor.'

In his article, Swansburg suggests that the common conception that Alger's novels advocate hard work and reputable character as the keys to success is a false one. He states that 'these attributes merely qualify the Alger hero for success; they don’t produce it.' Swansburg believes that while hard work and good character may help, a certain amount of luck and help from others is needed for the upward mobility of Alger's heroes such as Dick. Both of these can be seen through Mr Rockwell. Dick's upward movement is finalised by Mr Rockwell when he offers him the job of clerk. This offer of a job as well as they suit is an example of the help that Dick requires to complete his transformation from Ragged Dick to Richard Hunter. Furthermore, he only meets Mr Stockwell after saving his son who falls of the ferry. This shows the element of luck as it was a case of Dick being in the right place at the right time. If this did not happen or if Dick was not present then he would not have met Mr Rockwell and earned the offer as a job as a reward. Also, as Swansburg points out, this happens at a convenient time where Dicks penmanship is improving, a skill key for the job.

Sources

Gorman Beauchamp, 'Ragged Dick and the Fate of Respectability', http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mqrarchive/act2080.0031.003/34:7?page=root;size=100;view=pdf

Cara Erdheim, 'Why Speak of American Stories as Dreams'
Why Speak of American Stories as Dreams-.pdf

John Swansburg, 'The Self-Made Man'
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2014/09/the_self_made_man_history_of_a_myth_from_ben_franklin_to_andrew_carnegie.html (Links to an external site.)