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Ragged Dick and Struggling Upward
From the 1860's through the 1890s, Horatio Alger wrote hundreds of novels to teach young boys the merits of honesty, hard work, and cheerfulness in the face of adversity. The hero of Ragged Dick is a veritable "diamond in the rough"—as innately virtuous as he is streetwise and cocky. Immediately popular with young readers, the novel also appealed to parents, who repsonded to its colorful espousal of the Protestant ethic. Struggling Upward, published nearly thirty years later, followed the same time-tested formulas, and despite critical indifference it, too, had mass appeal. As Carl Bode points out in his introduction, Horatio Alger filled a void in American literature and met scant competition both in the nature and the number of his works. Like his heroes, Alger rose to the top by chance, coincidence, and hard work.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1868
7 people are currently reading
284 people want to read
About the author
Horatio Alger Jr.
474 books97 followersHoratio Alger, Jr. (January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American author, most famous for his novels following the adventures of bootblacks, newsboys, peddlers, buskers, and other impoverished children in their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of respectable middle-class security and comfort. His novels about boys who succeed under the tutelage of older mentors were hugely popular in their day.
Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, the son of a Unitarian minister, Alger entered Harvard University at the age of sixteen. Following graduation, he briefly worked in education before touring Europe for almost a year. He then entered the Harvard Divinity School, and, in 1864, took a position at a Unitarian church in Brewster, Massachusetts. Two years later, he resigned following allegations he had sexual relations with two teenage boys.[1] He retired from the ministry and moved to New York City where he formed an association with the Newsboys Lodging House and other agencies offering aid to impoverished children. His sympathy for the working boys of the city, coupled with the moral values learned at home, were the basis of his many juvenile rags to riches novels illustrating how down-and-out boys might be able to achieve the American Dream of wealth and success through hard work, courage, determination, and concern for others. This widely held view involves Alger's characters achieving extreme wealth and the subsequent remediation of their "old ghosts." Alger is noted as a significant figure in the history of American cultural and social ideals. He died in 1899.
The first full-length Alger biography was commissioned in 1927 and published in 1928, and along with many others that borrowed from it later proved to be heavily fictionalized parodies perpetuating hoaxes and made up anecdotes that "would resemble the tell-all scandal biographies of the time."[2] Other biographies followed, sometimes citing the 1928 hoax as fact. In the last decades of the twentieth century a few more reliable biographies were published that attempt to correct the errors and fictionalizations of the past.
Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, the son of a Unitarian minister, Alger entered Harvard University at the age of sixteen. Following graduation, he briefly worked in education before touring Europe for almost a year. He then entered the Harvard Divinity School, and, in 1864, took a position at a Unitarian church in Brewster, Massachusetts. Two years later, he resigned following allegations he had sexual relations with two teenage boys.[1] He retired from the ministry and moved to New York City where he formed an association with the Newsboys Lodging House and other agencies offering aid to impoverished children. His sympathy for the working boys of the city, coupled with the moral values learned at home, were the basis of his many juvenile rags to riches novels illustrating how down-and-out boys might be able to achieve the American Dream of wealth and success through hard work, courage, determination, and concern for others. This widely held view involves Alger's characters achieving extreme wealth and the subsequent remediation of their "old ghosts." Alger is noted as a significant figure in the history of American cultural and social ideals. He died in 1899.
The first full-length Alger biography was commissioned in 1927 and published in 1928, and along with many others that borrowed from it later proved to be heavily fictionalized parodies perpetuating hoaxes and made up anecdotes that "would resemble the tell-all scandal biographies of the time."[2] Other biographies followed, sometimes citing the 1928 hoax as fact. In the last decades of the twentieth century a few more reliable biographies were published that attempt to correct the errors and fictionalizations of the past.
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April 2, 2010
New York in the Gilded Age. Isabel Archer was setting sail for Europe. In the family box at the opera, Newland Archer and the Countess Olenska were exchanging furtive glances. Meanwhile, out in the streets, entire cohorts of street urchins were busily pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, overcoming bullies, cheats and other forms of adversity, aided only by their innate pluck, preternatural cheerfulness, the benevolent intercession of a rich patron and the long arm of amazing coincidence. Bootblacks, newsboys, peddlers, buskers and a variety of other impoverished urchins all realised the American dream, leaving their humble origins behind and rising to a life of financial security and middle-class respectably.
We know this is so, because Horatio Alger tells us. Over and over again. Incessantly. Mark the match boy, Phil the fiddler, Paul the peddler, Ben the luggage boy, tattered Tom, ragged Dick, Jed the poorhouse boy, and Mark Mason the telegraph boy, and scores of others – each of them living proof that all you needed to succeed was hard work, a chipper attitude, an honest disposition, and concern for your fellow man.
Oh wait! There was one other critical ingredient for success: some rich older gentleman had to intercede on your behalf and take you under his wing. This might seem like a potential obstacle, but not in Alger’s world, a place where 5th Avenue was chock-a-block, day and night, with elderly affluent patrons on the lookout for a suitable urchin to sponsor. Save a child from under the wheels of a carriage, return a lost watch, perform some other act of conspicuous bravery or honesty, or simply turn out to be a long-lost relative, and you were in like Flynn.
I’ve just made it through three of Alger’s “rags to riches” tales - Ragged Dick, Struggling Upward (Luke Larkin’s Luck), and The Cash Boy. You need read only one, because Alger just wrote the same book over and over again. Much like P.G. Wodehouse, he had found a winning formula and he stuck to it.
To my surprise, they weren’t nearly as bad as I expected. If one is able to overlook the essentially Republican worldview and cast a tolerant eye on Alger’s fondness for coincidence as deus ex machina (he’s hardly alone in this), there is a certain anodyne comfort in the story’s soothing familiarity. Even if you know at the back of your mind that it’s a complete crock.
You might also want to suppress the disturbing biographical tidbit that Horatio Alger had to resign his position as minister to the Unitarian congregation in Brewster, Cape Cod, following (uncontested) allegations that he had molested a 13-year old and a 16-year old boy. According to Wikipedia, “All parties involved agreed to keep matters quiet – the parents of the boys reluctantly”. Alger later moved to New York, where he “was immediately drawn into the world of impoverished young bootblacks, newspaper boys and peddlers”, spending much of his time with the boys, often inviting them back to this small apartment.
Somehow, I’d feel better about these books if I didn’t have that last piece of information. What might have been naively optimistic now has an indelible note of creepiness. But maybe everything was as wholesome as Alger’s cri-de-coeur, “Friar Anselmo” suggests:
Title: Friar Anselmo
Author: Horatio Alger
Friar Anselmo (God's grace may he win!)
Committed one sad day a deadly sin;
Which being done he drew back, self-abhorred,
From the rebuking presence of the Lord,
And, kneeling down, besought, with bitter cry,
Since life was worthless grown, that he might die.
All night he knelt, and, when the morning broke,
In patience still he waits death's fatal stroke.
When all at once a cry of sharp distress
Aroused Anselmo from his wretchedness;
And, looking from the convent window high,
He saw a wounded traveller gasping lie
Just underneath, who, bruised and stricken sore,
Had crawled for aid unto the convent door.
The friar's heart with deep compassion stirred,
When the poor wretch's groans for help were heard
With gentle hands, and touched with love divine,
He bathed his wounds, and poured in oil and wine.
With tender foresight cared for all his needs,--
A blessed ministry of noble deeds.
In such devotion passed seven days. At length
The poor wayfarer gained his wonted strength.
With grateful thanks he left the convent walls,
And once again on death Anselmo calls.
When, lo! his cell was filled with sudden light,
And on the wall he saw an angel write,
(An angel in whose likeness he could trace,
More noble grown, the traveller's form and face),
"Courage, Anselmo, though thy sin be great,
God grants thee life that thou may'st expiate.
"Thy guilty stains shall be washed white again,
By noble service done thy fellow-men.
"His soul draws nearest unto God above,
Who to his brother ministers in love."
Meekly Anselmo rose, and, after prayer,
His soul was lightened of its past despair.
Henceforth he strove, obeying God's high will,
His heaven-appointed mission to fulfil.
And many a soul, oppressed with pain and grief,
Owed to the friar solace and relief.
(Confession: for years I used to confuse Horatio Alger and Alger Hiss, referring to any kind of rags-to-riches story as “your typical Alger Hiss” story, until a friend took pity and corrected me.)
We know this is so, because Horatio Alger tells us. Over and over again. Incessantly. Mark the match boy, Phil the fiddler, Paul the peddler, Ben the luggage boy, tattered Tom, ragged Dick, Jed the poorhouse boy, and Mark Mason the telegraph boy, and scores of others – each of them living proof that all you needed to succeed was hard work, a chipper attitude, an honest disposition, and concern for your fellow man.
Oh wait! There was one other critical ingredient for success: some rich older gentleman had to intercede on your behalf and take you under his wing. This might seem like a potential obstacle, but not in Alger’s world, a place where 5th Avenue was chock-a-block, day and night, with elderly affluent patrons on the lookout for a suitable urchin to sponsor. Save a child from under the wheels of a carriage, return a lost watch, perform some other act of conspicuous bravery or honesty, or simply turn out to be a long-lost relative, and you were in like Flynn.
I’ve just made it through three of Alger’s “rags to riches” tales - Ragged Dick, Struggling Upward (Luke Larkin’s Luck), and The Cash Boy. You need read only one, because Alger just wrote the same book over and over again. Much like P.G. Wodehouse, he had found a winning formula and he stuck to it.
To my surprise, they weren’t nearly as bad as I expected. If one is able to overlook the essentially Republican worldview and cast a tolerant eye on Alger’s fondness for coincidence as deus ex machina (he’s hardly alone in this), there is a certain anodyne comfort in the story’s soothing familiarity. Even if you know at the back of your mind that it’s a complete crock.
You might also want to suppress the disturbing biographical tidbit that Horatio Alger had to resign his position as minister to the Unitarian congregation in Brewster, Cape Cod, following (uncontested) allegations that he had molested a 13-year old and a 16-year old boy. According to Wikipedia, “All parties involved agreed to keep matters quiet – the parents of the boys reluctantly”. Alger later moved to New York, where he “was immediately drawn into the world of impoverished young bootblacks, newspaper boys and peddlers”, spending much of his time with the boys, often inviting them back to this small apartment.
Somehow, I’d feel better about these books if I didn’t have that last piece of information. What might have been naively optimistic now has an indelible note of creepiness. But maybe everything was as wholesome as Alger’s cri-de-coeur, “Friar Anselmo” suggests:
Title: Friar Anselmo
Author: Horatio Alger
Friar Anselmo (God's grace may he win!)
Committed one sad day a deadly sin;
Which being done he drew back, self-abhorred,
From the rebuking presence of the Lord,
And, kneeling down, besought, with bitter cry,
Since life was worthless grown, that he might die.
All night he knelt, and, when the morning broke,
In patience still he waits death's fatal stroke.
When all at once a cry of sharp distress
Aroused Anselmo from his wretchedness;
And, looking from the convent window high,
He saw a wounded traveller gasping lie
Just underneath, who, bruised and stricken sore,
Had crawled for aid unto the convent door.
The friar's heart with deep compassion stirred,
When the poor wretch's groans for help were heard
With gentle hands, and touched with love divine,
He bathed his wounds, and poured in oil and wine.
With tender foresight cared for all his needs,--
A blessed ministry of noble deeds.
In such devotion passed seven days. At length
The poor wayfarer gained his wonted strength.
With grateful thanks he left the convent walls,
And once again on death Anselmo calls.
When, lo! his cell was filled with sudden light,
And on the wall he saw an angel write,
(An angel in whose likeness he could trace,
More noble grown, the traveller's form and face),
"Courage, Anselmo, though thy sin be great,
God grants thee life that thou may'st expiate.
"Thy guilty stains shall be washed white again,
By noble service done thy fellow-men.
"His soul draws nearest unto God above,
Who to his brother ministers in love."
Meekly Anselmo rose, and, after prayer,
His soul was lightened of its past despair.
Henceforth he strove, obeying God's high will,
His heaven-appointed mission to fulfil.
And many a soul, oppressed with pain and grief,
Owed to the friar solace and relief.
(Confession: for years I used to confuse Horatio Alger and Alger Hiss, referring to any kind of rags-to-riches story as “your typical Alger Hiss” story, until a friend took pity and corrected me.)
October 23, 2023
I had to read this book for one of my classes and I honestly didn’t think I’d like it as much as I did
February 14, 2024
This was a surprisingly fun read--it's easy to see where Alger's popularity comes from, even as he does endorse some problematic messages.
August 3, 2015
An unexpected surprise, very much naive in its depiction of how to get ahead in America, and yet completely charming in its execution. I spent the entire book genuinely interested in seeing how Dick would cope with his troubles and hoping he'd succeed. A kid's book from yesteryear that can give us a glimpse into the 19th century American mindset and its infatuation with the Horatio Alger Myth.
December 3, 2013
Yes, it's by-the-bootstraps propaganda, but it's also funny as hell. And it's not even really by-the-bootstraps because Ragged Dick has an awful lot of help from some awfully philanthropic rich folks.
July 12, 2019
Despite growing up and hearing people talk about the Myth of Horatio Alger I never had a close encounter or even noticed these books in a library or book store. This is probably due to the fact that they were so ancient even in the 1970s when I was growing up. Having heard references to these books over and over again in the media, the presence of this book and others by Mr. Alger stuck with me until I woke up one morning and finally decided I needed to dedicate myself to locating a copy and reading this book once and for all, no matter how painful the experience may be in order to take it off my bucket list and keep it from randomly wandering into my mind and cluttering my thoughts. So on a bright sunny day I journeyed to my local library only to find they had no copies (major branch big city). I guess I would have expected every library to have 2-3 copies with as prevalent as it is in the off the cuff comments made by political and social pundits.
Yes, I could have put a hold on it, but the librarian told me it could be found online on Project Gutenberg for free download to my kindle. About 5 "user error" hours later, I gave up, but I am not a big kindle reader, as I prefer the real thing when I stumbled upon a free audio-book version on librivox. Still unable to find a hard copy, or download a kindle version, and not wanting to spend money on a book I was convinced I would not get utility out of, I decided to download the audio version to my iPod and listen to it in my car. Wow. Yes that is the word. Not only was the librivox version done by a great narrator, but I found myself entranced by the whole book.
Yes, this is a kids book. Dick I believe is 12 years old. Don't expect much more, but like Harry Potter, it held up well for me as an adult. It is very light reading, but I would expect the antiquated diction puts it a little above the reading comprehension level of the average child of today in the same target demographic. The best part of the book for me? Encountering characters who use the word "Bully..." a lot. You know that word that is always in big, bold letters next to a picture of Teddy Roosevelt? I have seen this all my life but never seen it used in a sentence. I always knew it didn't mean Teddy was a 'bully" and had nothing to do with the modern meaning of the word as in some deviant who picks on other kids who lack the ability to defend themselves, but I oddly enough, have never seen or heard this word in the this connotation used in a sentence. I probably shouldn't spoil by saying much more than this. It was so unusual, peculiar and unique that it really stood out. Still I cannot decide if it was a four letter word of its day or not. Conundrum.
So this is an over simplified moralistic tale that was first serialized in a youth newspaper/periodical of the time. It is pulp fiction, so don't expect War and Peace. Who cares. Where it did impress me is that I can visualize a youth of the time reading it and developing the Social Skills that we didn't teach then and don't/can't teach now. I would strongly recommend it to any adult or child of today. It is not overly strong in its moralistic themes, just work hard, save, keep an eye out for opportunity, be ready to lend a hand to help your fellow human beings and you will be rewarded... and help those who help you as that is your duty as a human being. I think these are pretty solid universal truths that not many can argue with and there is nothing with reinforcing those in today's Kardashian laden, real housewives binging times in which we live.
OK, so after I read it, I found myself craving more. I have downloaded the remaining Ragged Dick adventures available on librivox and have listened to them all, as well as several other books by Mr. Alger who follow alternative characters in the same timescape. I have been greatly pleased by the relationship with the author that has developed since our introduction.
While moralistic it stops short of being offensive. Dick has an unusual and dry sense of humor reminiscent of Burns and Allen. The fact that I found myself, if I may use the word "ROTFL" over comic lines written over 150 years ago in a land before time (Internet time) it really "blew my mind" (To use an expression some 50+ years old). The humor is akin to that used by Melville in Moby Dick and of a type you don't see much these days... but it make me chuckle. I was not expecting this. Some of the dry humor may be lost on modern day readers, but I surely appreciated it. I find myself better for reading this and these book(s). I heartily recommend this and the others in the series.
Yes, I could have put a hold on it, but the librarian told me it could be found online on Project Gutenberg for free download to my kindle. About 5 "user error" hours later, I gave up, but I am not a big kindle reader, as I prefer the real thing when I stumbled upon a free audio-book version on librivox. Still unable to find a hard copy, or download a kindle version, and not wanting to spend money on a book I was convinced I would not get utility out of, I decided to download the audio version to my iPod and listen to it in my car. Wow. Yes that is the word. Not only was the librivox version done by a great narrator, but I found myself entranced by the whole book.
Yes, this is a kids book. Dick I believe is 12 years old. Don't expect much more, but like Harry Potter, it held up well for me as an adult. It is very light reading, but I would expect the antiquated diction puts it a little above the reading comprehension level of the average child of today in the same target demographic. The best part of the book for me? Encountering characters who use the word "Bully..." a lot. You know that word that is always in big, bold letters next to a picture of Teddy Roosevelt? I have seen this all my life but never seen it used in a sentence. I always knew it didn't mean Teddy was a 'bully" and had nothing to do with the modern meaning of the word as in some deviant who picks on other kids who lack the ability to defend themselves, but I oddly enough, have never seen or heard this word in the this connotation used in a sentence. I probably shouldn't spoil by saying much more than this. It was so unusual, peculiar and unique that it really stood out. Still I cannot decide if it was a four letter word of its day or not. Conundrum.
So this is an over simplified moralistic tale that was first serialized in a youth newspaper/periodical of the time. It is pulp fiction, so don't expect War and Peace. Who cares. Where it did impress me is that I can visualize a youth of the time reading it and developing the Social Skills that we didn't teach then and don't/can't teach now. I would strongly recommend it to any adult or child of today. It is not overly strong in its moralistic themes, just work hard, save, keep an eye out for opportunity, be ready to lend a hand to help your fellow human beings and you will be rewarded... and help those who help you as that is your duty as a human being. I think these are pretty solid universal truths that not many can argue with and there is nothing with reinforcing those in today's Kardashian laden, real housewives binging times in which we live.
OK, so after I read it, I found myself craving more. I have downloaded the remaining Ragged Dick adventures available on librivox and have listened to them all, as well as several other books by Mr. Alger who follow alternative characters in the same timescape. I have been greatly pleased by the relationship with the author that has developed since our introduction.
While moralistic it stops short of being offensive. Dick has an unusual and dry sense of humor reminiscent of Burns and Allen. The fact that I found myself, if I may use the word "ROTFL" over comic lines written over 150 years ago in a land before time (Internet time) it really "blew my mind" (To use an expression some 50+ years old). The humor is akin to that used by Melville in Moby Dick and of a type you don't see much these days... but it make me chuckle. I was not expecting this. Some of the dry humor may be lost on modern day readers, but I surely appreciated it. I find myself better for reading this and these book(s). I heartily recommend this and the others in the series.
February 13, 2020
Be a good boy and be honest and you'll be lifted out of poverty by a kindly rich man and given a good job in a counting house. If you're bad you'll either remain in poverty, or if you're not poor you'll suffer a reversal of fortune. That's Horatio Alger!
This popular scribbler of 19th century boys fiction represents, very directly, the American disease at full steam. The wealthy and the establishment are good and ready to reward virtue, the police are friendly, and many of the poor remain so by their own fault. The only real reward in life is money.
For me, Alger is precious, very undisguised morality with bright faced young hopeful protagonists, pushed through their upward “struggles” by an author not witty enough to give them well-contrived obstacles. Ragged Dick and Luke Larkin both come to notice for their goodness, not once each but many times over the course of the story. But, of course, they must remain poor long enough to fill the length of the book.
“Ragged Dick” is Alger's breakout novel, and it is in every facet an amateurish work. The narrator directly addresses the reader to introduce Dick and explain that he is a young bootblack and that he has some vices and is bad with money, although possibly not as bad as some of his poor bootblack friends. Dick takes a wealthy boy on a tour of 1868 New York City and gets a suit of clothes and $5 for his trouble (lotta money back then), this gets him thinking of bettering his situation. He works really hard, starts a bank account, obtains lodging rather than sleeping in the street, and learns to read from an educated bootblack friend. Along the way he encounters snobs, crooks, and conmen.
In “Struggling Upward”, Luke Larkin is a schoolboy in a small Connecticut village living with his widowed mother and working as a janitor in the schoolhouse for like $1 a week (it's 1890 now, so that's not that much money). Everybody likes Luke, except for snooty Randolph, who is son of the squire and bank president, Prince Duncan. A stranger gives Luke charge of a metal box and soon Luke is accused of robbing the bank, even ending up on trial for it. The owner of the box and another rich man whose bonds were taken in the robbery show up and come to Luke's aid, and soon our young hero is on the trail of the real bank robber. More snobs, more crooks, and a larger dose of conmen show up, plus an oily proprietor of a billiards hall.
Much of “Ragged Dick” is filled up with the title character's New York street-urchin jargon, going on about his suit being at the cleaners, his wallet being filled with “valooable” Erie Railway papers, and how he doesn't know enough of reading “to hurt him”. He's a character and he rambles on charactering for pages, in between mild encounters with street bullies and people trying to get at what little money he has saved. Luke is fairly plain and dull by comparison, yet he is given the better adventure for his trouble, traveling by train through Chicago to South Dakota in search of the numbers of stolen bonds.
The previous Alger story I read, “Adrift in New York” is probably more solid than either of these, since that one has Alger trying a little harder for the romantic aspect.
Alger's writing is a relic, containing nothing of what appeals in modern writing, something either quaint or historically fascinating. It is important to note, however, that the element that made these stories sell, the thing they are sopping in, is the same “American Dream” that we have never retired, although today the fantasy walks large in life and not on the page, hollow though it may be.
I read this stuff because of its influence. The Alger disease rubbed off in many another popular genre of that day and after. It's an ingredient, not the whole recipe.
This popular scribbler of 19th century boys fiction represents, very directly, the American disease at full steam. The wealthy and the establishment are good and ready to reward virtue, the police are friendly, and many of the poor remain so by their own fault. The only real reward in life is money.
For me, Alger is precious, very undisguised morality with bright faced young hopeful protagonists, pushed through their upward “struggles” by an author not witty enough to give them well-contrived obstacles. Ragged Dick and Luke Larkin both come to notice for their goodness, not once each but many times over the course of the story. But, of course, they must remain poor long enough to fill the length of the book.
“Ragged Dick” is Alger's breakout novel, and it is in every facet an amateurish work. The narrator directly addresses the reader to introduce Dick and explain that he is a young bootblack and that he has some vices and is bad with money, although possibly not as bad as some of his poor bootblack friends. Dick takes a wealthy boy on a tour of 1868 New York City and gets a suit of clothes and $5 for his trouble (lotta money back then), this gets him thinking of bettering his situation. He works really hard, starts a bank account, obtains lodging rather than sleeping in the street, and learns to read from an educated bootblack friend. Along the way he encounters snobs, crooks, and conmen.
In “Struggling Upward”, Luke Larkin is a schoolboy in a small Connecticut village living with his widowed mother and working as a janitor in the schoolhouse for like $1 a week (it's 1890 now, so that's not that much money). Everybody likes Luke, except for snooty Randolph, who is son of the squire and bank president, Prince Duncan. A stranger gives Luke charge of a metal box and soon Luke is accused of robbing the bank, even ending up on trial for it. The owner of the box and another rich man whose bonds were taken in the robbery show up and come to Luke's aid, and soon our young hero is on the trail of the real bank robber. More snobs, more crooks, and a larger dose of conmen show up, plus an oily proprietor of a billiards hall.
Much of “Ragged Dick” is filled up with the title character's New York street-urchin jargon, going on about his suit being at the cleaners, his wallet being filled with “valooable” Erie Railway papers, and how he doesn't know enough of reading “to hurt him”. He's a character and he rambles on charactering for pages, in between mild encounters with street bullies and people trying to get at what little money he has saved. Luke is fairly plain and dull by comparison, yet he is given the better adventure for his trouble, traveling by train through Chicago to South Dakota in search of the numbers of stolen bonds.
The previous Alger story I read, “Adrift in New York” is probably more solid than either of these, since that one has Alger trying a little harder for the romantic aspect.
Alger's writing is a relic, containing nothing of what appeals in modern writing, something either quaint or historically fascinating. It is important to note, however, that the element that made these stories sell, the thing they are sopping in, is the same “American Dream” that we have never retired, although today the fantasy walks large in life and not on the page, hollow though it may be.
I read this stuff because of its influence. The Alger disease rubbed off in many another popular genre of that day and after. It's an ingredient, not the whole recipe.
July 7, 2025
The jokes pretty much write themselves. Alger was an ephebophile and his books all treat the rise to riches of some young teen. Found this at a little free library and the actual novels are a little different from the received wisdom about them. First off, the riches the ragged ones reach is more implied than actualized. And the young ones never get very old. That is, these teens are well on the way to a life of prosperity and abundance—they haven't actually achieved it yet. Second, there is (on the strength of this volume, including an early and a late narrative) significantly more variability between the stories than one is given to expect. The hero of the first is a wise-cracking orphaned boot black who has loads of street smarts and a propensity for avoiding the lower forms of theft and dishonesty. RG at worst wastes his money on the Bowery going to shows; he would never stoop to con games or the like. He's a prepossessing fellow in Alger's writing simply because he has a smart ass answer for every situation and is the embodiment of sang froid in whatever trying circumstance he finds himself. A chance encounter with a rich kid early opens Dick's eyes to a better life and with the company of a literate but less active boot black, he begins to plot a new life. First he learns to read in his spare time, then, due to some good turns he does along the way, he finds himself well-placed to have the kind of life he never would have anticipated in the book's opening chapters. Struggling Upward features lucky Luke Larkin, a kind of Gallant to the rich banker Duncan's Goofus son. Luke is noble (no wisecracks), smart and makes the best of every situation. His rise begins because he helps out a dark stranger with an unopened tin box (hints of Great Expectations here). For his pains, Luke gets accused of robbery, though of course he is innocent. His good behavior brings him to the attention of a defrauded rich investor who employs the resourceful Luke on a trip out west and before you know it ours is a made young man. In neither book does the hero become wealthy. Rather, he is raised out of relative (or abject) poverty into middle class respectability with the promise of more to come. In other words, Alger's universe is the opposite of, say, Boethius's in The Consolation of Philosophy. In that work, Lady Philosophy works hard to explain to the prisoner (Boethius) that the seeming injustice of this world is a kind of broader justice, conceived from the perspective of the Almighty. None of that pious theodicy for Alger; in his world the good always and all ways thrive and the ignoble (especially the wealthy ignoble) suffer. It is a world of justice for Alger and one can see why in a Gilded Age his books might seem wonderful little workbooks for young men, counseling hard work and thrift and honesty. If you fail, well, there was a moral flaw somewhere along the way. For Alger, good will always out because the world is fundamentally good—you just have to work hard. Suspect, if it weren't for those pesky boy issues trailing Alger, his books would make fine little moral exempla for the heartless backers of big beautiful bills today.
July 19, 2016
This novel explores the classic notion that hard work and a bit of luck, people are able to improve their status in society. There's two stories of young men who navigate society during the 1860s-1890s The stories detail how these young men deal with a fiercely competitive environment and attempt to make a successful living for themselves.
Ragged Dick
The main character Dick Ragged Dick is a homeless fourteen-year-old boot blacker. He is in excellent health and has a positive attitude. Soon enough we realize his fatal flaw is his compulsive spending habits. He tries to improve his social status but continuously is distracted by other desires.
He plans his life untraditionally, not expecting a better life than to remain a boot blacker. He doesn’t have much going well for him in this lifestyle, but he enjoys the independent lifestyle. Survival in New York is competitive. Numerous swindlers are out to take advantage of him. Unexpectedly his quick wit outsmarts them. He learns the ins and outs to survive NYC and compete with the other boot blackers for territory.
Ragged Dick is known to be an honest young man. With a frank and open face he is considered good-looking boy. This is to his advantage. One day, a patron of the aristocracy puts his nephew, Frank, into Dick's charge to be given a tour of New York while he attends to business. Frank buys Dick a new suit and allows him to wash up.
In his new clothes he appears upper class. During the tour they talk. Their conversation convinces Dick there is hope in his future. He decides to improve himself from then on. Although Dick is frequently targeted, his street smarts never allow anyone to trick him.
During the tour, Dick is too clever to fall for an attempted "drop" game." He scares away the con artist and keeps the wallet himself.
Another instance Mickey Maguire, accuses Dick of trying to rise above his station; Dick beats Mickey and chases him away. He by chance befriends an orphan named Henry Fosdick, whose father sent him to school. Dick sees his own good qualities in Henry, and with "a certain chivalrous feeling" offers to let Henry "business" which means he will allow him to stay as a guest in his room in return for nightly lessons in reading, writing, and mathematics.
Henry agrees. Dick continues the agreement of not charging Henry rent. He never asks Henry for any money even when the rent goes up. The arrangement works to both their advantages. Henry gets a friend and place to stay. Dick gets a friend, education, and later a better job.
Another former customer, Mr. Greyson, invites Dick and Henry to church and afterward his house for dinner. After the meal, Dick and Henry return to their room to discover that a villain named Jim Travis has stolen Dick's bankbook. The next day, Dick rushes to the bank to prevent Jim's withdrawal of his savings.
Dick's consistent bank deposits, help the clerk recognize him by his face. Jim is arrested when he attempts to close the account.
In the search of better-paying jobs Dick and Henry take the ferry to Brooklyn. During the trip Dick, saves a young boy who falls into the river. The father turns out to be James Rockwell, a wealthy businessman. He rewards Dick by giving him a well-paying job as a clerk at his office.
Dick introduces himself as "Richard Hunter," rather than "Dick." When he returns home he finds Mickey Maguire has entered his room and stolen his old tattered clothes. With this final event, Richard is "cut off from the old vagabond life which he hoped never to resume".
Wealthy outsiders gave Dick money and a job. He wouldn't have been able to change his status in society. Intervention by Mr. Greyson and James Rockwell prevented Dick from remaining a ragged boot blacker. He was fortunate that others helped him.
The author isn’t very accurate. It seems the story has an agenda to motivate young people to have good moral standards. With some luck and an optimistic attitude all aspirations will take care of themselves. Horatio presents a false sense of hope to many who will never improve within society no matter how morally pure they may be.
I didn't like that Horatio hold the view of “acres of diamonds”, meaning if you don’t achieve success you must be morally unclean. Dick was one of the luck few there are many more whose stories never turnout even close.
Struggling Upward
In the story, “Struggling Upward”, the main character Luke Larkin has a similar experience to Ragged Dick. As a son of a carpenter with a mother who’s a widow they don’t make much money Luke’s job is critical. He works at The Groveton School as the janitor. He meagerly earning pocket change every week which is turned in to his mother. He’s viewed as the lowest socially which makes him is humble working to support himself and his ailing mother.
Luke is very mature for his age. He’s well liked by most of his peers. The few who don’t like him are jealous of this. Randolph targets him and laughs that his clothes are too small. He also gets treated like a dishonest person and cheated due to his appearance. What also puts Luke in an awkward position is Randolph’s father is the head of the bank. Luke’s mother must pay him money for their house. Randolph continuously makes a point of talking about his sense of authority.
Then one day a mysterious (male) stranger shows up and gives Luke Larkin a box to hold onto which he must never open and must always keep a secret. Thereafter, Luke begins to take odd jobs and slowly earns money. He buys himself some gloves without holes, which allows him to work twice as hard.
When Luke loses his job as school janitor his mom considers selling their house. What gives Luke the opportunity to succeed is Reed Roland who entrusts him with the box. Reed buys Luke also sets him up for upward mobility with new clothes, and a watch. Mrs. Larkin also gets paid from him for taking care of his daughter. this prevents them from selling their home. When Luke completed the mission to retrieve loan #’s thief was discovered, His name was completely cleared and he was rewarded money.
Had it not been for Reed Roland who gave him money, and a job, Luke wouldn't have been able to support himself or his mother. Luke and his mother probably would have been finished soon. Horatio Alger, JR.’s optimistically asserts that with hard work and a bit of luck Luke Larkin is able to change his status in society.
Ragged Dick
The main character Dick Ragged Dick is a homeless fourteen-year-old boot blacker. He is in excellent health and has a positive attitude. Soon enough we realize his fatal flaw is his compulsive spending habits. He tries to improve his social status but continuously is distracted by other desires.
He plans his life untraditionally, not expecting a better life than to remain a boot blacker. He doesn’t have much going well for him in this lifestyle, but he enjoys the independent lifestyle. Survival in New York is competitive. Numerous swindlers are out to take advantage of him. Unexpectedly his quick wit outsmarts them. He learns the ins and outs to survive NYC and compete with the other boot blackers for territory.
Ragged Dick is known to be an honest young man. With a frank and open face he is considered good-looking boy. This is to his advantage. One day, a patron of the aristocracy puts his nephew, Frank, into Dick's charge to be given a tour of New York while he attends to business. Frank buys Dick a new suit and allows him to wash up.
In his new clothes he appears upper class. During the tour they talk. Their conversation convinces Dick there is hope in his future. He decides to improve himself from then on. Although Dick is frequently targeted, his street smarts never allow anyone to trick him.
During the tour, Dick is too clever to fall for an attempted "drop" game." He scares away the con artist and keeps the wallet himself.
Another instance Mickey Maguire, accuses Dick of trying to rise above his station; Dick beats Mickey and chases him away. He by chance befriends an orphan named Henry Fosdick, whose father sent him to school. Dick sees his own good qualities in Henry, and with "a certain chivalrous feeling" offers to let Henry "business" which means he will allow him to stay as a guest in his room in return for nightly lessons in reading, writing, and mathematics.
Henry agrees. Dick continues the agreement of not charging Henry rent. He never asks Henry for any money even when the rent goes up. The arrangement works to both their advantages. Henry gets a friend and place to stay. Dick gets a friend, education, and later a better job.
Another former customer, Mr. Greyson, invites Dick and Henry to church and afterward his house for dinner. After the meal, Dick and Henry return to their room to discover that a villain named Jim Travis has stolen Dick's bankbook. The next day, Dick rushes to the bank to prevent Jim's withdrawal of his savings.
Dick's consistent bank deposits, help the clerk recognize him by his face. Jim is arrested when he attempts to close the account.
In the search of better-paying jobs Dick and Henry take the ferry to Brooklyn. During the trip Dick, saves a young boy who falls into the river. The father turns out to be James Rockwell, a wealthy businessman. He rewards Dick by giving him a well-paying job as a clerk at his office.
Dick introduces himself as "Richard Hunter," rather than "Dick." When he returns home he finds Mickey Maguire has entered his room and stolen his old tattered clothes. With this final event, Richard is "cut off from the old vagabond life which he hoped never to resume".
Wealthy outsiders gave Dick money and a job. He wouldn't have been able to change his status in society. Intervention by Mr. Greyson and James Rockwell prevented Dick from remaining a ragged boot blacker. He was fortunate that others helped him.
The author isn’t very accurate. It seems the story has an agenda to motivate young people to have good moral standards. With some luck and an optimistic attitude all aspirations will take care of themselves. Horatio presents a false sense of hope to many who will never improve within society no matter how morally pure they may be.
I didn't like that Horatio hold the view of “acres of diamonds”, meaning if you don’t achieve success you must be morally unclean. Dick was one of the luck few there are many more whose stories never turnout even close.
Struggling Upward
In the story, “Struggling Upward”, the main character Luke Larkin has a similar experience to Ragged Dick. As a son of a carpenter with a mother who’s a widow they don’t make much money Luke’s job is critical. He works at The Groveton School as the janitor. He meagerly earning pocket change every week which is turned in to his mother. He’s viewed as the lowest socially which makes him is humble working to support himself and his ailing mother.
Luke is very mature for his age. He’s well liked by most of his peers. The few who don’t like him are jealous of this. Randolph targets him and laughs that his clothes are too small. He also gets treated like a dishonest person and cheated due to his appearance. What also puts Luke in an awkward position is Randolph’s father is the head of the bank. Luke’s mother must pay him money for their house. Randolph continuously makes a point of talking about his sense of authority.
Then one day a mysterious (male) stranger shows up and gives Luke Larkin a box to hold onto which he must never open and must always keep a secret. Thereafter, Luke begins to take odd jobs and slowly earns money. He buys himself some gloves without holes, which allows him to work twice as hard.
When Luke loses his job as school janitor his mom considers selling their house. What gives Luke the opportunity to succeed is Reed Roland who entrusts him with the box. Reed buys Luke also sets him up for upward mobility with new clothes, and a watch. Mrs. Larkin also gets paid from him for taking care of his daughter. this prevents them from selling their home. When Luke completed the mission to retrieve loan #’s thief was discovered, His name was completely cleared and he was rewarded money.
Had it not been for Reed Roland who gave him money, and a job, Luke wouldn't have been able to support himself or his mother. Luke and his mother probably would have been finished soon. Horatio Alger, JR.’s optimistically asserts that with hard work and a bit of luck Luke Larkin is able to change his status in society.
May 10, 2023
The first time I brought a Horatio Alger book home from the library my mother almost forbade me from reading it. She said it was a book for boys. But the author's rags to riches tales were for anyone who wanted to read them. The books are hard to find, so I was delighted when I snagged one at a library book sale.
November 15, 2020
This is the story that people in America show to anyone who is less than successful. "Look, Ragged Dick was able to overcome his poverty, why can't you?"
That is until the Ragged Dick stories have been found to be very economical with the truth.
That is until the Ragged Dick stories have been found to be very economical with the truth.
August 25, 2025
Has to read this for a class in college analyzing it and I actually enjoyed this book. I didn’t think I would but I sympathized with Dick so much in this book. For the time it was written you can tell how much Alger was trying to instill morals in young people.
May 1, 2020
These 19th-century children's books sucked shit!
December 18, 2023
I loved reading of great character and old time New York.
September 2, 2025
imagine being a boy in 1868 and this is the only entertainment you have available
March 8, 2017
I had to read these stories for my English class, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed them. They were fun, easy reads. I prefer Ragged Dick to Struggling Upward. Dick is a very sympathetic protagonist. He’s someone I really rooted for. It was really fascinating to get a look at New York in the mid 1800s, and Dick really does explore the city, considering part of his story is giving Frank a tour. I liked Struggling Upward, but I didn’t feel for Luke’s character quite as much. Even though he was a good boy, I feel like I didn’t actually see that as much as I did with Dick, who performed several selfless acts. Luke also seemed far more naïve, but that makes sense, given he grew up in a small town with his mother, whereas Dick grew up an orphan on the streets of New York. Linton was probably my favorite character from Luke’s story. I will say I think I liked the plot of Luke’s story more than I liked Luke himself. There is a certain word used in Luke’s story that a lot of people will be sensitive to, so I’d caution people on that, but it’s still a very quick, overall enjoyable read.
May 5, 2022
Ragged Dick and Struggling Upwards are some of the nice children's novels I will hand down to my children. But there is really not much to preserve in them save their spirit of honesty and conscientiousness. The preface to the book tells us that this Penguin volume is adopted from used, (in deed tattered) copies. I am glad I picked this one up, though, since it reminds me of the time I spend reading Tom Sawyer. The two authors, Alger Jr. and Twain are in strong conflict. Twain is obviously the superior writer, but these books have a nicer, neater, set of hard-working (albeit one-dimensional) characters, and no Injun Joe or Nigger Jim. LOL
November 24, 2011
This is a Young Adult Literature book from before 1920.
hoi.
That being said, except for the scene at the library when I requested for this book, it was completely uninteresting. It is like playing an Age of Empires video game - it is there and you are strangely facinated by it, but there is no real plotline. Boy starts out poor, by hardwork and a bit of luck, he makes his way up in life. I could cry at how boring and uneventful it is. Maybe I'm just resentful that things are going to easy for him because it doesn't reflect life at all. I will put down this book and continue with my life where there basically is just more struggles. Granted, he starts out homeless and in rags shining shoes - but everything is up from there. And The author just lays it on REALLY thick about how honest, hard working and good this character is - he tries, unsuccesfully to give Dick some vices (smoking, his name...) but they aren't really that offensive (funny, yes, offensive- in a "these are the trials that outset your blessings-sort of way, NO) It is "the teacher's pet" in a Newsies outfit. I just wanted someone to mug him the whole time.
hoi.
That being said, except for the scene at the library when I requested for this book, it was completely uninteresting. It is like playing an Age of Empires video game - it is there and you are strangely facinated by it, but there is no real plotline. Boy starts out poor, by hardwork and a bit of luck, he makes his way up in life. I could cry at how boring and uneventful it is. Maybe I'm just resentful that things are going to easy for him because it doesn't reflect life at all. I will put down this book and continue with my life where there basically is just more struggles. Granted, he starts out homeless and in rags shining shoes - but everything is up from there. And The author just lays it on REALLY thick about how honest, hard working and good this character is - he tries, unsuccesfully to give Dick some vices (smoking, his name...) but they aren't really that offensive (funny, yes, offensive- in a "these are the trials that outset your blessings-sort of way, NO) It is "the teacher's pet" in a Newsies outfit. I just wanted someone to mug him the whole time.
May 12, 2010
Finished Ragged Dick, starting Struggling Upward. Have been reading the complete works of Louisa May Alcott, and saw the Horatio Alger at Title Wave and realized it was the male equivalent. I've been enjoying the Quaker undertones, the pull yourself up, keep cheerful, work hard, do good messages. I also like the time period in America, the Gilded Age, so similar to our own with super wealthy and terribly poor folk. Not sure I agree with much or all of their viewpoint, esp. concerning capitalism, but I do enjoy the stories.
December 1, 2014
This is the story of a poor, orphaned bootblacks rise to the respectability of the middle class, through hard work and virtue, which earns him a helping hand; nearly the quintessential American mythology of socio-economic mobility. This is a charming and pleasant story; I enjoyed it more than I expected to.
August 21, 2008
Read it simply b/c I recognized the author as a classic. Had no idea that it was 19th century morality-instilling fiction for boys. Quite enjoyable for a first read by Alger, but I can see how critics of the era faulted him for never changing the recipe.
October 22, 2008
_Ragged Dick_ was a fun jaunt through New York, and also one of the wittiest characters I've read in a while. _Struggling Upwards_ was also an engaging read, but Luke Larkin was a little too goody-two-shoes after Dick Hunter who was such great fun!
February 24, 2007
This is such a typical English major book; a bit stuffy, but really really good. It's about the American Dream: hard work reaps reward.
September 16, 2007
Isn't fantasy fun?!
May 15, 2009
I'm very pleasantly surprised. I love this book.
February 20, 2009
Books for boys in the late Nineteenth Century. Yawn.
August 31, 2016
The struggle of the young and honest making better in the big city.
October 1, 2011
Better than I expected! Dick is sort of like Nancy Drew, without the house, food, father, education, or mysteries to solve.
April 29, 2017
The o.g. rags to riches story. Kinda bad.
October 20, 2011
Laughed at some bits. Wasn't so much of a fan after I read some history on the author.
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