From Gabrielle Bradley

Ragged Dick is a classic “American dream” or “rags to riches” story where the protagonist comes from nothing and miraculously works his way up the social ladder and there finds happiness. In the story it turns out to be very easy for Dick to turn his life around. All he has to do is open a bank account, rent a place to stay, and run into three different rich men that have the ability to turn his life around. A lot of Dick’s success is because he was in the right place at the right time, which I think carries the most importance for people trying to become rich and powerful. In our class discussion we talked about how Ragged Dick is the perfect example of the idea that “If you work hard, you can get anywhere in life” that people in the baby boomer generation love to tell young kids, but if you look closer at the story this is not even true for Dick. Regardless of what generation you are in, the possibility of you becoming successful comes down to either hard work and/or knowing the right people. I think in 2020 it is the latter that plays the most important role in how your life unfolds. If you know the right people it is either because you already come from money (and someone in your family’s history must have done the hard work) that therefore gives you connections to other rich and powerful people that can hire you for the job of your dreams, or you have just plain dumb luck and met the right people at the right time. Dick’s dream job is just an office job, which he could probably have achieved just through hard work, but he has such incredible luck in the story that I really do not think that you can say it was his hard work as a boot black that got him where he ends up at the close of the book. If Dick had not miraculously ran into Frank he would not have had his new suit. If he had not shined Mr. Grayson’s shoes he would not have gone to Sunday School and received that education. If he had not been on the ferry when James Rockwell’s son fell overboard he would not have gotten the clerk job. Sure, Dick learned how to read and write with the help of his friend Fosdick, which is a believable connection for him to have, but the job offer from Rockwell because Dick saved his son’s life is what really changes Dick’s life. I am sure that there are people in history who have earned their success through just hard work, but this makes me question if the American Dream that is told to us in books and movies was ever really something that could happen in real life through hard work, or if the crazy rags to riches stories can always be traced back to just pure luck?