Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger

Ragged Dick is the first book in Alger's Richard Hunter series, about the rise of of young Dick from penniless bootblack to, presumably, titan of finance. It is also Alger's first novel. As such, it is the perfect example of anti-naturalism: a book which has all the same basic elements of naturalism (impoverished people in an urban area) but which writes their story in a positive light.

As with naturalism, physical appearance plays a great part in determining how once can judge someone. Over and over, Alger points out that people trust Dick because he "had a frank, straight-forward manner that made him a favorite" (4). The face is the window to the soul; physiognomy is as strong here as in naturalism.

One way to think about Ragged Dick is to perceive it as the story of American Tragedy, if Clyde's cousin were the penniless up and comer. Over and over, Dreiser points out that, although Clyde is handsomer than his cousin, he's less driven and ambitious. He does not burn with a fire to succeed. Alger makes this same point about Dick by repeatedly comparing him to the fellow bootblack Johnny, who does not succeed because he's lazy. Johnny "was a good-natured boy, large of his age, with nothing particularly bad about him, but utterly lacking in that energy, ambition, and natural sharpness, for which Dick was distinguished" (125).

Dick also meets good fortune after good fortune; he's constantly thrown into situations that will lead to his success. The most outrageous of these is when his friend Fosdick applies for a job at a hat shop, which just happens to be the hat shop where the boys' sunday school teacher teaches, who just happens to walk in during the interview and recommend Fosdick( 95). This, and many other coincidences, are the counter to the negative coincidences that take place in naturalism and bring about the downfall of the naturalist subjects. And of course, sometimes in naturalism these chances (Trina winning the lottery, Clyde running into his uncle and obtaining employment) seem, like Dick's chances, to hold promise. They just never do.

I can see the appeal of these books. Dick is a charming character, and although Alger's style is repetitive, it's charming enough. I was personally revolted by the right wing platitudes all through the book; this is the ur-novel for those who believe that the poor need to just pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. But I can also understand it's appeal for the second half of the 19th century, as a document fully embracing and encouraging the American dream.