Horatio Alger and Ragged Dick
The use of symbolism has always been a prevalent way for writers to communicate important issues to the public. It is not uncommon to read a simple children's story and discover underlying political or moral messages, for example, Horatio Alger's novel Ragged Dick. This story was written after the Civil War, when America experienced a period of huge industrial growth. The capitalistic work ethic had become a universal idea in the North, and in response the Government agreed to stay out of business affairs, following the industrial policy of "laissez-faire." This widened the gap between the rich and the poor, making it difficult for a less fortunate individual to work his way up in society. Many Americans, however, believed that it was definitely not impossible to become successful in life. Horatio Alger's character, Ragged Dick, is a young boot-black who works his way up in society to become a respectable gentleman. Through symbolism, Alger uses several material objects to reveal Dick's transformation into a successful young man. Dick's new suit is one example of symbolism that Alger uses. It is introduced when Dick offers to be a city guide to young Frank Whitney. The Whitney family is very kind to Dick and they t
ake him into their home to prepare him for a day as Frank's tour guide. After a bath, Dick is given a suit that had once belonged to Frank. The suit was Dick's very first gift and it made him look so different that it was "difficult to imagine that he is the same boy." The Whitney's' intervention gave Dick the ability to be more than a simple boot-black. Since he now looked like a young gentleman's son, Dick received respect and was soon unwilling to wear his old clothes which were ragged, dirty, and ill fitting. Frank Whitney inspired Dick to quit squandering his money and begin saving. Dick said that he means to "turn over a new leaf." Frank assured him that through honest, hard work, education, and perseverance, he could grow up respected and honored. Before Dick left the kind family, Mr. Whitney introduced him to the tradition of the 'duty of stewardship,' which meant that when a man surpassed a certain level of wealth, he must share with those less fortunate. Mr. Whitney passed this on to Dick, along with a five-dollar bill to use wisely. With his newfound money, Dick located a permanent room to rent on Mott Street. He then deposited the remainder of the money into the bank, for which he received a bank savings book. This book was the second element of symbolism used by Alger in the novel. He now "felt himself a capitalist" and resolved to save every spare cent into his account. From that point on, Dick retired from his old habits of gambling and theater going, as he realized that it was simply a waste of his hard-earned money. He became more aggressive in attaining customers for his boot-blacking business, and found that he could earn the next weeks rent without having to use any of his savings. During this time, he took in a fellow boot-black named Fos*censored*, who agree
Some common words found in the essay are:
Ragged Dick, Tom Wilkins, Mott Street, Frank Whitney, Frank Dick's, Whitney Whitney, Whitney Helping, Dick Dick, War America, , ragged dick, letter dick, bank savings, frank whitney, savings book, bank savings book, symbolism alger, novel ragged dick, writing letter, horatio alger's, tom wilkins, money education, writing letter dick,
Approximate Word count = 1219
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
