This novel seems to stress the troubles that a young boy residing in New York might endure when he is left with no family, financial stability, and guidance, but I believe that the novel also wants its audience to see that hidden virtues to this lifestyle exist as well.
So far in Dick’s story, the author highlights his lack of education by purposely spelling words like “ ‘spectable ” in a way for his readers to imagine how he is incorrectly pronouncing them, as well as Dick repeatedly stating that he is “awful ignorant” (p.40). It seems that Dick is not intelligent when it comes to books, but I want to explore what I have learned about Dick’s grit and street intelligence and how it presents as just as valuable as academic intelligence when it comes to surviving in New York.
What I have learned through Dick’s actions is that there is valuable knowledge embedded within hardship that people like Frank weren’t able to learn despite the author’s projection of him having everything that a young boy would want.
One scene that exemplifies Dick’s strengths and Frank’s weaknesses when it comes to important street knowledge were when they were in the Third Avenue and Harlem horse-car. I interpreted the horse-car scene of Frank being accused of stealing a lady’s pocketbook as the author’s way of showing us how Dick’s grit and tough attitude proved to be an asset in order to defend Frank. When you read the scene, Dick is the one standing up to the lady and to the conductor while Frank said nothing even though he was the one initially accused. Dick’s tone was sharp and authoritative as he said, “that’s a lie!” and “you’re a nice female you be!” while Frank quietly and politely said, “you are very much mistaken, madam” (p. 43).
The whole tone of the scene I believe is trying to show us how Dick’s hardships have also given him a beneficial chip on his shoulder that he himself does not know is valuable, but that Frank sees as admirable. I think that it is important to pay attention to the two different personalities of the boys and how each boy has characteristics that they both want.
Later, Fosdick comes into the picture and provides Dick with his schooling, where Dick in return provides him with beneficial street knowledge on how to get by. It seems that as much as Dick admires other people’s intelligence and skills, those same people admire the skills that Dick doesn’t realize that he has. All of the opportunities Dick obtained were a result of doing something for those that required his street intelligence; his street smarts got him to where he wanted to be. From Frank’s letter, to Fosdick’s friendship, to helping Tom Wilkins, and saving that little boy, it is obvious that Dick was respectable all along and that he deserved every opportunity that came to him.
Madzia, I did not consider the impact that Dick's street smarts had on his journey throughout the novel but the points you brought up on how his street smarts allow him to benefit on the situations he finds himself in were interesting. Specifically, when Dick and Frank encountered the country boy outside the Custom House, Dick was able to recover the fifty dollars due to his "ready identification" of the man who had stolen the money (Alger 52). While Frank had a traditional education, Dick's education that he received on the streets growing up was what allowed him to get the money back. I believe that Dick's untraditional education benefits him greatly without him realizing just how large of an impact that that education has had on his rise to respectability. Dick spends a good portion of the novel distancing himself from his humble beginnings, most notably being embarrassed at using the word bully because "he had not used the right expression", in order to prove that he learned from Mr. Whitney and Frank and wants to turn his life around (82). However, these humble beginnings and his unconventional education aided him in getting to where he is at the end of the novel: no longer Ragged Dick but rather Richard Hunter.
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