Ragged Dick
After the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution was boosted in the north, and there was a mad rush for power in wealth. The United States surpassed Great Britain as number one in power after the instatement of Lassiez-faire Capitalism. This challenged many of the values of the time because it gave power to the rich and left poor, unemployed individuals powerless and penniless. The gap between the rich and poor began to widen, but in order to downplay this problem, hope was given to those poverty stricken. Horatio Alger wrote a series of books that illustrated different character's stories of success from street poverty. Ragged Dick reflects the real life success stories of men, like Andrew Carnegie, on a smaller scale, using a young bootblack and material objects as symbols of this young boy's transformation from poverty to middle class respectability. Each object was symbolic of an important step in the process toward comfort and success for Dick. Ben Franklin once said, "The clothes make the man", and Horatio Alger truly believed this statement. Early in the novel, Ragged Dick received a suit from Mr. Whitney, a man whom Dick did not know. The s
Whitney played in Dick's transformation. He did save his money though, and proved that he was well on his way to becoming a mature, middle class adult by giving a gift to a person in need. Later in the novel, another young man, Tom Wilkins, could not pay his rent for the week. uit symbolized a change in how Dick was viewed as on a socio-economic level. Young boys who read the novel were almost transformed themselves. Whitney acted as a saint to Dick giving him a suit, money, and hope for the future. The manner of the writing still conveyed his personality even though he was now a well-respected gentleman. Alger gave hope to those who had none, and attempted to show them how to succeed in this new Industrial society. With this changed exterior, people began, almost immediately, to give Dick attention and respect. If Dick had not been conservative with his money, he would still have been as poor as the unfortunate Tom Wilkins. Dick got an education from his friend Fosdick, and nine months later, Dick could read and write, had a place on Mott Street, and his own small fortune in the bank. Changing Dick's exterior changed how people around him saw him. The letter combined all of the new skills Dick obtained and put the final additions on Dick's transformation from street waif to respectable gentleman.
Common topics in this essay:
Mott Street,
Ragged Dick,
Tom Wilkins,
Changing Dick's,
Frank Dick,
Lassiez-faire Capitalism,
Andrew Carnegie,
Horatio Alger,
Industrial Revolution,
Whitney Dick,
five dollars,
middle class,
ragged dick,
tom wilkins,
poverty middle class,
class respectability,
poverty middle,
mott street,
street poverty,
gift five,
save money,
middle class respectability,
gift five dollars,
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Acceptance Essays
