Other editions of book Ragged Dick and Struggling Upward With An Introduction by Carl Bode

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. 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.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.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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. 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.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.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

During 1850's, common stories about "poor city youths, newsboys and bootblacks" who became rich and famous which were popular. "Ragged Dick" features such a young boy as its hero. Alger opened up Dick's identity, inspirations, dreams, plans and hopes. Dick was a sarcastic youngster, generous towards friends, a gambler and smoker. At the same time, he never steals, neither cheats nor hurt younger boys and this makes him a "noble" young gentleman. His "pants were torn in several places, and had apparently belonged in the first instance to a boy two sizes larger than himself. He wore a vest, all the buttons of which were gone except two, out of which peeped a shirt which looked as if it had been worn a month. To complete his costume he wore a coat too long for him, dating back, if one might judge from its general appearance, to a remote tranquility." Throughout the book Alger draws us to see the transfer of a boy who once was Ragged Dick into a respectable young gentleman Richard Hunter. "When Dick was dressed in his new attire, with his face and hands clean, and his hair brushed, it was difficult to image that he was the same boy" Dick changes from being uneducated, dirty and wearing ragged clothes that are too big for him into a "quite handsome...young gentleman, except that his hands were red and grimy". Alger could have made Dick a good looking, rich and educated young gentleman but he chose completely the opposite. This way of writing only made it more realistic since not everyone becomes rich; it takes hard work to get there. Throughout the book, Alger draws images of the New York City streets, transportation and structures, tells about the games, cheats, crooks and tricks happening on the streets, and draws attention to the juvenile boys' desires for simple things such as: "a steady job, a decent place to sleep, a suit of clothing, respect from others" as well as planning for future. There are a lot of details used to make our minds actually see the real pictures of the situations. Some of the details include about the greatest pleasure that Dick is experiencing with his saving's account that grows slowly every week and the first experience of washing his face. One of the reasons 'Ragged Dick' was a success was that the story was easy to read as well as inspiring. Alger leaves his readers with the feeling that, like Dick, they can become smart and rich too. In approximately one year, the hero of Alger's story turns from an uneducated, dirty, sarcastic, young boy into a noble young gentleman. Like us, Dick wasn't successful in everything he did. But his life is quiet realistic and his progress in the face of struggles can inspire us all.

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 appeals to parents, who responded 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. Though the days when Horatio Alger was one of the most widely read authors in America have long since passed, his message--that by dint of hard work, decent morals, good manners and a hefty serving of luck, any American boy can rise from rags to riches—was once read and believed by every significant man of business, politics, literature and academia in America in the early decades of this century. It is impossible to understand these men and the America that they forged without understanding the one author who was most likely a formative influence on them. Except for a couple of decades of despair brought on by the Great Depression, it is, has been, and seems sure to remain, the uniquely American idea that anyone can succeed. Though Alger was not the originator of these beliefs, the many copies of his books certainly contributed to the entrepreneurial spirit of America. There is something refreshing about Alger's straightforward, unmannered writing style. The mere absence of all of the modern stylistic devices that so often make reading modern novels a chore, makes reading the books a pleasure. Then there is the vicarious thrill of reading about a good boy making good. And, beneath the outer layers of poverty, Alger's heroes are enormously appealing. There is a reason that the term "Horatio Alger story" lives on in our lexicon. The concept touches something deep within our psyche, confirming something that we desperately want to believe about individuals and about the type of world and society that we live in. Let the critics ridicule Alger’s stories, but when America stops believing in the power and the truth of the Alger myth, we will cease to be a great nation.