Ragged Dick by Horation Alger Jr.

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Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger, Jr. Ragged Dick is a picture perfect story of what the American dream is to be thought as. Here you have a boy who has lost both parents, he has no one. He shines shoes just to be able to feed himself and he rises to a higher class with tough work and good character. There may have been a little luck every so often, but that is what the American dream is too. Ragged Dick is almost like a guide to raise your social class rank. Not so much a step-by-step manual, but more of a how to. Ragged Dick gives you the perfect lay out of the American dream and the mind set and work ethic of possible your own American dream story. The American dream I believe is that of someone improving their current situation into a better one. I don’t think it is a small change though. The American dream is not just getting a car when your family didn’t have one before or getting a small promotion at work so your family can actually start saving money. Although these are part of the American dream which simply put is growing and prospering from what you had before. This being said, I believe the real American dream is starting at the bottom having nothing, usually brought to that point by oppression or devastation, and soaring above poverty to at the minimum easy living where money is not a worry in one’s life. The stereotypical story would be from poverty to high class living, but just the movement to a better life is all that really needs to happen to be an American dream story. Many people would say that this American dream is not possible and completely inaccessible, those people are probably not American or just haven’t found a stroke of luck. The American dream just isn’t about hard work and good character and values,... ... middle of paper ... ...make as much money as he does shining shoes. He gets more for a better attitude then some other shoe shiners because they are always so dreary. His attitude to be helpful and considerate of other is what allows him to prosper in life and it makes those more fortunate then him more willing to help him because his attitude toward others and his likability. You cannot get anywhere in life if no one likes you and you do not have a good character. Ragged Dick wasn’t just a good example of an American dream coming true. It is also pretty much a guideline on what you need to do or have in order to make an American dream possible. It clearly lays out how Dick’s character and moral values play a huge role in his rise to bigger and better things. Work ethic and your desire for better things is always necessary. There are six major things that are pointed put in the book.

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