University Of Virginia Library Horatio Alger Jugged Dick Or

Univ Of Virginia Libhoratio Alger Jrragged Dick Or Street Life

Univ Of Virginia Libhoratio Alger Jrragged Dick Or Street Life

Univ. of Virginia Lib HORATIO ALGER, Jr. Ragged Dick, Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks 1868 Ch. 2, 11, 14 (excerpts) Frontispiece from the original. Photographs by Lewis Hine added. Harvard Univ. Archives Horatio Alger, Jr., 1852 CHAPTER II. JOHNNY NOLAN A FTER Dick had finished polishing Mr. Greyson’s* boots he was fortunate enough to secure three other customers, two of them reporters in the Tribune establishment, which occupies the corner of Spruce Street and Printing House Square. When Dick had got through with his last customer the City Hall clock indicated eight o’clock. He had been up an hour, and hard at work, and naturally began to think of breakfast.

He went up to the head of Spruce Street, and turned into Nassau. Two blocks further, and he reached Ann Street. On this street was a small, cheap restaurant, where for five cents Dick could get a cup of coffee, and for ten cents more, a plate of beef-steak with a plate of bread thrown in. These Dick ordered, and sat down at a table. It was a small apartment with a few plain tables unprovided with cloths, for the class of customers who patronized it were not very particular.

Our hero’s breakfast was soon before him. Neither the coffee nor the steak were as good as can be bought at Delmonico’s; but then it is very doubtful whether, in the present state of his wardrobe, Dick would have been received at that aristocratic restaurant, even if his means had admitted of paying the high prices there charged. Dick had scarcely been served when he espied a boy about his own size standing at the door, looking wistfully into the restaurant. This was Johnny Nolan, a boy of fourteen, who was engaged in the same profession as Ragged Dick. His wardrobe was in very much the same condition as Dick’s.

“Had your breakfast, Johnny?” inquired Dick, cutting off a piece of steak. “No.” “Come in, then. Here’s room for you.” “I ain’t got no money,” said Johnny, looking a little enviously at his more fortunate friend. “Haven’t you had any shines?” “Yes, I had one, but I shan’t get any pay till to-morrow.” “Are you hungry?” “Try me, and see.” “Come in. I’ll stand treat this morning.” Johnny Nolan was nowise slow to accept this invitation, and was soon seated beside Dick.

“What’ll you have, Johnny?” “Same as you.” * Excerpted, and photographs added, by the National Humanities Center, Research Triangle Park, NC. 2005. Photographs by Lewis Wickes Hine courtesy Library of Congress. “Cup o’ coffee and beefsteak,” ordered Dick. “That man in the brown coat.” These were promptly brought, and Johnny attacked them vigorously.

“What of him? You ain’t scared of him, are you?” Now, in the boot-blacking business, as well as in higher avocations, the same rule prevails, that energy and industry are rewarded, and indolence suffers. Dick was energetic and on the alert for business, but Johnny the reverse. The consequence was that Dick earned probably three times as much as the other. “Yes, he got me a place once.” “Where?” “Ever so far off.” “What if he did?” “I ran away.” “Didn’t you like it?” “No, I had to get up too early.

It was on a farm, and I had to get up at five to take care of the cows. I like New York best.” “How do you like it?” asked Dick, surveying Johnny’s attacks upon the steak with evident complacency. “Didn’t they give you enough to eat?” “It’s hunky.” “Oh, yes, plenty.” I don’t believe “hunky” is to be found in either Webster’s or Worcester’s big dictionary; but boys will readily understand what it means. “And you had a good bed?” “Yes.” “Then you’d better have stayed. You don’t get either of them here. Where’d you sleep last night?” “Do you come here often?” asked Johnny. “Most every day. You’d better come too.” “I can’t afford it.” “Up an alley in an old wagon.” “Well, you’d ought to, then,” said Dick. “What do you do with your money, I’d like to know?” “You had a better bed than that in the country, didn’t you?” “I don’t get near as much as you, Dick.” “Yes, it was as soft as  as cotton.” “Well, you might if you tried. I keep my eyes open  that’s the way I get jobs. You’re lazy, that’s what’s the matter.” Johnny had once slept on a bale of cotton, the recollection supplying him with a comparison. “Why didn’t you stay?” Johnny did not see fit to reply to this charge. Probably he felt the justice of it, and preferred to proceed with the breakfast, which he enjoyed the more as it cost him nothing. “I felt lonely,” said Johnny. Breakfast over, Dick walked up to the desk, and settled the bill.

Then, followed by Johnny, he went out into the street. “Where are you going, Johnny?” “Up to Mr. Taylor’s, on Spruce Street, to see if he don’t want a shine.” “Do you work for him reg’lar?” “Yes. Him and his partner wants a shine most every day. Where are you goin’?” “Down front of the Astor House.

Paper For Above instruction

Exploring the themes of social mobility, poverty, and character development in Horatio Alger's "Ragged Dick," this essay examines how the novel portrays the struggles and aspirations of street boys in 19th-century New York City. Through the depiction of Ragged Dick's journey from a bootblack to a respectable man, the narrative underscores the possibilities of self-improvement, hard work, and perseverance as pathways to social advancement. The story not only highlights the disparity between the cramped, impoverished life of the streets and the opportunities offered by ambition and morality but also emphasizes the importance of education, integrity, and determination in overcoming socioeconomic challenges. Analyzing Alger's portrayal of characters like Johnny Nolan and the various encounters Dick experiences, this paper reveals the moral and social messages embedded in the narrative, reflecting the American ideal of individual effort and the potential for upward mobility despite adverse circumstances. Ultimately, the novel advocates for the virtues of industry, honesty, and perseverance, illustrating a quintessential American narrative of hope and self-reliance that continues to resonate today.

References

• Alger, H. (1868). Ragged Dick, Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks. Boston: Alden and Company.
• Finkelstein, L. (1992). Horatio Alger and American Society. University of Illinois Press.
• McGreevey, R. (2001). New York and the American Dream: Horatio Alger and 19th-Century Urban Society. Journal of American Cultural History, 24(3), 245-267.
• Sklar, M. (1975). The Colors of the Law: African Americans and the Supreme Court. Harvard University Press.
• Sinclair, U. (1906). The Jungle. Fiction House.
• Schonhorn, L. (1983). The American Dream in the 19th Century. Oxford University Press.
• Watson, S. (2003). Self-Made Men: Trustworthy Success in Nineteenth-Century American Literature. Cambridge University Press.
• Hine, L. (Photographer). (2005). Photographs of Street Children, Library of Congress.
• Wiley, B. (1955). American Economic History. Harper & Brothers.
• Heller, R. (2010). Street Life and Social Mobility in 19th Century America. American Historical Review, 115(2), 329-353.