A Book About the Gilded Age*

Count me among the many who confused Horatio Alger with one of his characters (which the introduction to Ragged Dick avers is common). I am college-educated and well-read, but I continue to be proven ignorant in my knowledge of both American history and literature.

Ragged Dick is a likable fourteen year old street urchin in New York in the late 1800's. He is street-wise but also wise in a way that seems unlikely for a teenager who was turned out onto the street at seven. Alger instills him with more than his share of virtues, through which he rises above the less industrious children he is competing against. Along the way he meets Alger's archetypes of the characteristics that breed both success and failure: businessmen, bullies, men of faith, grifters - a menagerie of people meant to demonstrate the right way to get ahead in the world.

In spite of the obviousness of Alger's intentions, Ragged Dick is a funny, enjoyable book. Like the fictive people of New York who befriend him, you cannot help but like its eponymous protagonist for his wit and positive outlook. While Alger downplays the deplorable conditions his hero lives in and the things people accepted (such as children living alone on the street and adults paying them for shoe shines without taking any interest in their plight), you will find yourself appalled at it. You will also find yourself rooting for Dick to overcome the obstacles against him, and be rewarded with a happy but incomplete ending, as this is only the first in a series of Alger books starring this character.

* - I've had to set my themed reading list aside for now, as I'm taking a couple literature classes this summer through a state program that provides free tuition for Texas residents over 55. This novel is assigned for my 19th Century American Literature class focused on the Gilded Age. ( )

Typical Horatio Alger story; was a suggested read to see the style of writing and the ways of a typical street urchin. ( )

I actually read this when I was in elementary school, and I love it even now! It's funny, engaging, and inspiring, as it follows the story of Dick Hunter from his position as a lowly bootblack to an honorable member of society. One of my favorite childhood stories :) ( )

OK. He had me until the end. This previously homeless kid is an expert swimmer? Seriously? Where did he learn? Where did he swim? Who taught him? I know it's just some silly adolescent book that is decades old, but you should still not have plot holes like this. Otherwise, it was very good. The character of Dick was a really entertaining character. ( )

Dick is the hero in a rags-to-riches story. ( )