The thing that I found most intriguing in the story was the
character’s personal development. When Ragged Dick is introduced, he is described
as a boy in ragged clothes and covered in dirt. However, the unique thing about
Dick compared to the other boys was that he had an honest face. This was
further emphasized by Dick’s morals. Dick was a confident boy with a strong work
ethic even if he was simply working as a boot black. In addition to his strong
work ethic, he had strong virtues of honesty. Dick vowed that he would never
lie or steal because he thought that it was rude. He did not want things that he
felt he didn’t earn. These morals are central to his development throughout the
book.
The development of the character is focused on his Dick’s
goal of wanting to grow up to be respectable. Dick has proven that he has the
morals and drive of a respectable man. However, he lacked an education. Frank and
his uncle Mr. Whitney helped Ragged Dick acknowledge this missing piece. They taught
that to achieve his goal of being respectable he needed to stop giving into his
vices (ie. drinking, gambling) and instead focus on saving his money for the future.
Additionally, they reminded Dick of the importance of obtaining. It was remarkable
to see how quickly Ragged Dick took this advice into account and began making
positive changes in his life. Soon after, he acquired a bed on Mott Street, found
himself a private tutor, and opened his own bank account.
What I found fascinating was the way Dick recognized his own progress
and development. When he first began his lessons with the Henry Fosdick, Dick
was very hard on himself. He often made use of self-deprecating jokes to
lighten the mood because his inability to read and write made him feel vulnerable.
However, it was this vulnerability that encouraged him to work hard every
single day. Dick would wake up early every morning and go to work, then at
night he would go home and study for two hours every evening. Months later,
Henry told Dick that he was as smart as he was and had taught him as much as he
could. Dick was happy to hear his mentor’s praise; however, he was skeptical.
It wasn’t until his bank book was stolen that Dick recognized
how far he had come. After nearly losing everything, Dick realizes how much he
really has. He decides to go out and try and get a place of his own in a store
or in a countroom. Getting a new job would complete his transition from his
previous life as a boot black and into a respectable young man in society. When
he got this job in the conclusion of the book, Dick personally acknowledged his
personal development. He was no longer known as Ragged Dick but rather Richard
Hunter a respectable young man.
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ReplyDeleteI think another notable aspect of Dick's personality that helps him towards his path of respectability is how he is outgoing and confident. The ability to reach out to people and appear confident helps establish his credibility and I believe it contributes to his overall 'honest face". He knows how to approach those well above his status and continue to engage them into investing in him through his wit, despite the incredible lack of education that most of these well-off people would find as a turn-off.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, unlike other characters we see in the book such as Johnny, Dick is not lazy and he treats others in the sense of “treat others the way you want to be treated”. He defends other boot blacks that aren’t as well off, helps other boot blacks buy meals, or even saves a young boy from drowning in the river. I think this aspect of his character also contributes to why he doesn’t steal because he never wants such things done to himself. Though it may not be directly related, I think his positive actions result in his incredibly unrealistic luck as an example of “good karma”; he treats others so well and expects this of everyone that it builds the sense that the world is fair and doing good always results in good (which we know obviously isn’t true).
I believe this part of his personality leads him towards his path of respectability but also builds on the theme of the book and the time period it was written in, almost reflecting the idea of the American Dream.