Ragged Dick

Ragged Dick is awesome and a completely new spin on children’s literature because it is the “guide book” for little boys instead of little girls. The criteria for being a good little boy and a good little girl are completely different on the independence and appearance side of things. For one, Dick, our little hero boy, is hilarious. Lets compare this with Ellen, who throws temper tantrums like Gerty and is not very funny at all. Within Ragged Dick we are given a glance at what is important in a boys life as he grows up to become a man in American society at this time.

Ellen, Gerty, and even our lighthearted Capitola were never expected to work or to be good workers. Within Ragged Dick we are immersed into a world where young boys are required to do work to make their living and provide solely for themselves. “Being an enterprising young man, he thought he saw a chance for a speculation, and determined to avail himself of it” (360). Dick does not have a choice of taking every piece of business he can and he has learned throughout his years as a vagabond boy living in the streets to be enthusiastic, ambitious, outgoing, and ultimately hard working. “That boy,” soliloquized Dick, as Johnny took his departure, “aint got no ambition. I’ll bet he won’t get five shines to-day. I’m glad I aint like him. I couldn’t go to the theatre, nor buy no cigars, nor get half as much as I wanted to eat” (351). This passage shows a variety of things pertaining to the differences of young girls and boys. Girls would never be allowed to have a “night life” or to smoke cigars while Ragged Dick does all of these things at such an early age. It also shows how important ambition is in the world Dick lives in because without there will be no income, meaning no food, shelter, or clothing. No matter what situation our characters were in they were provided for and did not have to work. I have mentioned Dicks faults and defects because I want it understood, to begin with, that I don’t consider him a model boy. But there were some good points about him nevertheless. He was above doing anything mean or dishonorable. He would not steal, or cheat, or impose upon younger boys, but was frank and straight-forward, manly and self-reliant. His nature was a noble one, and had saved him from all mean faults” (342). I love how the author laid out that Dick is not perfect but that is why we will like him and that the stand out amazing qualities his does have override all the other ones, such as appearance.

Our author immediately points out that yes Dick is our hero but he does have some faults, like his attire and need to not be clean. “He had no particular dislike to dirt, and did not think it necessary to remove several dark streaks on his face and hands” (336). This novel completely contradicts the previous novels we have read where the girls appearance is incredibly important. When Capitola was found dressing as a boy it was against the law and her Old Hurricane had her dressed nicely immediately. Ragged Dick gives us a completely new and exciting story of a young funny boy that shows how important ambitions and good morals are. Being a hard worker and having good morals rises above the materialistic things we have seen in literature pertaining to little girls.