Despite not having a known foundation for his belief system,
Ragged Dick was an individual who sought to do no harm (Ch XV). Many of his companions were willing to do
countless wrong deeds, whether fighting with those smaller than himself or Jim
Travis taking Dick’s bank-book (Ch XIV, Ch XXII). However, the young boot black
sought to improve himself in such a way that led the author to refer to him as “our
hero” time and time again (Ch XXV).
At the beginning of the story, the frank-looking yet
hardworking lad had no prospects for a future. After meeting a man who saw Dick’s
potential, the boy gave up his frivolous lifestyle, frequenting Barnum’s and the
Old Bowery, in order to become ‘spectable (Ch V). Through attending Mr. Greyson’s
Sunday school, Fosdick was able to secure a proper job in a hat store (Ch XIX).
This employment led Dick and his friend being on the ferry when James Rockwell’s
son fell into the water (Ch XXVI). Dick, dressed in his nicest clothes,
immediately put the boy’s life above his own when he jumped into the water. Despite
personal success, Dick continued to look out for others and in that instance,
it led him to indebting Mr. Rockwell in a way he felt he could never repay (Ch
XXVI).
Time and time again, it was seen how strong Christian attitudes
and actions led the young bootblack from rags to riches. This story was not about
how a young boy climbed the New York ladder of success. Instead, it was a clear
portrayal of the benefits obtained by personifying the Christian lifestyle.
For that reason, it was difficult for me to take the book
seriously. I cannot help but dwell on the irony of Horatio Alger’s writings instructing
young boys of the time on how to grow into respectable Christian men. If the
benefits of this lifestyle were so certain, then it seems strange that the
author did not choose them for himself. Instead, there have been allegations of
pedophilia made against Alger. Although his writings often served as a guide
for boys to become men, I wonder if undertones within the story revealed this
secret life of his.
As discussed in class, there were some unusual aspects to
the relationships between males in Ragged Dick. A few notable occurrences included
Fosdick and Dick becoming inseparably close while sharing the same room, there
was never a dating or marrying relationship, and the continuous benefaction from
older men to the rising bootblacks (Ch XVIII). Throughout the story, men from
Mr. Whitney to a bank teller to Mr. Rockwell and many others contributed aid towards
the boys looking to rise in society.
I believe that the story largely reflected the Horatio Alger’s
feelings towards the young boys he himself had gotten off the street. All of
Dick’s success was rooted in the benefaction he received from older men. Part
of me is unsure if Dick constantly came across extreme luck or if his aid from men
was a display of the author’s perspective outside of the story.
*It is not my intent to offend anybody with this conclusion.
I believe it is likely that the book was primarily aimed at how certain Christian
characterizations led to boys becoming respectable young men. That being said, sources
have noted pedophilia in Horatio Alger’s personal life that largely may have influenced
the story. In many ways, I hope that these observations are exaggerated and
rather show typical relationships between males at that time. However, I cannot
help but wonder if there were some parallels between the allegations and Alger’s
writings. *
These are very interesting points you have brought up between Ragged Dick and Alger's personal life. I did not know that Alger had allegations of pedophilia against him. It does seem ironic that Alger would write a novel emphasizing that good morals lead to inevitable success while he himself did not portray those good morals. This fact seems very disheartening actually because it makes me wonder if Alger just wrote this novel to make fun of the idea of the ideal Christian, hard-working young man. Additionally, I think it is interesting that you brought up the relationship between Dick and the many older men that consistently helped him throughout his life. In another comment I posted, I mentioned that Dick has surprisingly and unrealistically good luck throughout the novel. This makes me wonder if these strokes of good luck aren't actually just out of the kindness of the older mens' hearts, but if they had malicious, or even intentions behind them. Especially since Alger repeatedly states that Ragged Dick was a good looking young man, and considering Alger's previous pedophilia allegations. I agree with you that there must be a deeper meaning behind Alger's choice in the multiple older men characters that help out Dick- whether it be relating it to his own life, or making fun of the idea that Christian morals will bring success.
ReplyDeleteI’m massively intrigued by your comment here, and I find your argument incredibly compelling. It’s important for us as readers today to always consider the context in which things are written, something that I always do my best to do. It’s important to consider not only what was written inside of the text, but why the author would choose to write it that way.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s a very good point to say that Dick only seemed to move upwards in the world in any genuine way with the help of an older man. I would not be surprised, in a case like this, if Alger was writing himself some sort of savior-complex, wherein he had kind gentlemen stand in for himself, and the boys that he hoped to “rescue” translated to Dick.
This book certainly does serve as a sort of “how to” guide for young men to be respectable Christians in their lives, and often reads as a kind of Sunday School lesson in literary form. This would very much validate any kind of savior complex that Alger had—in writing a book like Ragged Dick, he is able to suggest how young boys should act, and while he does write it using Christian values, the examples you pointed out here could being deemed as “proper behavior” by Alger could lend itself to some form of grooming. I’m not going to claim that Horatio Alger wrote Ragged Dick as some way to groom young boys en masse, but I think the values portrayed in the book do lend themselves to what a pedophilic adult would like to see in a potential target.