While Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger was produced in the 19thcentury, many aspects discussed within it still remain relevant today. Throughout the novel Alger repeatedly provides lessons to the reader, who are assumed to be young boys, regarding how to become a successful and respectable person. Alger also specifically mentions various characteristics that one might try and develop in order to further themselves as well. Additionally, Ragged Dickexhibits how one’ connections that they have can be crucial factors in whether or not someone obtains a job.
On just the fifth page of the novel, Alger lists off to the reader several of Dick’s favorable qualities such as being “frank and straight-forward, manly and self-reliant. His nature was a noble one, and had saved him from all mean faults” and specifically states that “I hope my young readers…may find something in him to imitate” (Alger 7). Towards the end of the novel, Alger compares Dick to another character named Johnny Nolan. Much like Dick, Johnny Nolan is a black boot who lacked an education. However, the main difference between the two is that Dick had “energy, ambition, and natural sharpness” while Johnny did not. Because of this, Alger states that “It was easy to see that Johnny, unless very much favored by circumstances, would never rise much above his present level” (Alger 125). Here, Alger makes it clear that these characteristics are important to have for someone who wants to better themselves.
One of the most interesting parts of the novel for me occurs within the latter half when Henry Fosdick applies and interviews for a position in a hat and cap store. While Henry is a rather educated young boy and well-mannered as well, he is somewhat timid and quiet which makes him believe that he doesn’t have as likely a chance to secure the position. What sets Henry Fosdick apart from his competitors is that he is backed by the testimonial of Mr. Greyson, a respectable and successful businessman of the area who is also a Sunday School teacher. I find the significance of Mr. Greyson’s testimonial interesting because having strong references still plays an important role in applying and obtaining jobs today. Often times companies receive countless applications from prospective employees, with many of them having almost identical qualifications. This is where having a significant person of reference plays such a key factor. Not only must the applicant themselves have honorable characteristics such as perseverance, ambition, and honesty, but so must the person who serves as their reference. When Mr. Greyson speaks on behalf of Henry, the shopkeeper finds it to be sufficient due to “Mr. Greyson’s high character and position” (Alger 95).
Ragged Dick certainly focuses on teaching young children moral lessons and presents them with characteristics that they might adopt in order to increase their chances of becoming successful. What I find to be most interesting about this is that many of the same characteristics and events remain important in today’s society.
Your post strengthened the views I had while reading Ragged Dick, as I drew several similarities between what came up in the book and what we see today as well, specifically with the emphasis on physical appearance in becoming respectable. When Dick cleans himself up, he becomes unrecognizable, “so transformed in dress that it was difficult to be sure of his identity” (Alger 22). It's not a coincident that opportunities for upward mobility began to present themselves soon after. In class, a few people said that unlike 19th century society when Ragged Dick took place, what’s on the inside is more important now. I think this is true to an extent, but physical appearances are still the first thing that people notice/ judge and are very much important in being able to move up in society.
ReplyDeleteI also like that you said the book highlights characteristics a young boy might adopt in order to increase their chances of becoming successful. Having the characteristics Ragged Dick developed doesn’t necessarily mean that success is guaranteed or easy to obtain. I think Alger oversimplified to readers that anyone who works to clean themselves up and meet certain physical standards can achieve all of their goals. This makes it seem like it’s a choice when someone is poor or unable to progress upwards. In reality, there are so many other circumstances, including gender, race, and socioeconomic status, that contribute to hardship.
I like the comparison you make between Henry Fosdick’s job interview and job interviews today. I agree that obtaining recommendations from reputable people is important in today’s job market. Clearly, this was also the case in the time of Fosdick’s interview because Mr. Greyson’s testimony secured the job for Henry. However, Fosdick’s “modest bearing, and quiet, gentlemanly manner, entirely free from pretension” (Alger 94) also affected the shopkeeper’s decision. Thus, in a sense, recommendations may help in the setting of a job search, but now as much as then, being pretentious can hurt one’s chances in finding a job. Frankly, pretentiousness may also alienate a competitor from those who would be suited to recommend him. Thus, I think part of the moral in this passage is that one should avoid tendencies toward ostentation. I also remember discussing in class how some may view the young men in the novel as dependent upon those who, in a sense, swoop in and help them out. For example, “it happened most opportunely that Mr. Greyson entered the shop” (Alger 95) at the time that he did. In reality, and especially in today’s world, the rich men of the world do not appear randomly and advocate for the employment of the poor men.
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