Ragged Dick

This is a typical rags-to-riches story about a young boy growing to success through honorable behavior and hard work. The prominent personage is Ragged Dick, a fourteen-year-old bootblack who earns a living by cleaning shoes, and his only joy is smoking and occasional drinking. Yet, his main virtue is prudence. He won't steal at any occasion and dreams to succeed by earnest work. However, good strangers notice his determination to live a better life and help him either by paying an excellent salary to rent a room or offering him a job and clothing. Eventually, Dick quits drinking and smoking and grows into an honorable young gentleman. Hence, he calls himself Richard Hunter, Esq.

Horatio Alger Jr. (1832 - 1899) was an American writer and author of young adult novels. His main characters were impoverished boys who rose from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class prosperity through good works. His main themes were dictated by protestant views;therefore, the chief virtues of his characters are hard work, honesty, altruism. Typically, a protagonistshowcases these traits by performing an honorable deed, like saving someone's life or returning lost money. This drives the attention of a wealthy individual that decides to change the protagonist's life for the better. These works were a massive success among middle-class boys in America of the 19th century. Although Alger knew he wasn't creating literary masterpieces, he was happy his books inspire young adults to live better lives according to moral merits.