Nineteenth century industrialism presented the United States with a unique and unprecedented set of problems, as illustrated through the works of Rebecca Harding Davis and Horatio Alger Jr. Although both authors felt compelled to address these problems in their writing, Rebecca Harding Davis’s grasp on the realities faced by the working poor and women was clearly stronger than Alger’s. Not only did Alger possess a naïve view on exactly how much control an individual has over their own circumstances, but he failed to address the struggles of women entirely. As a result, Alger conceived a rather romantic world where the old-fashioned American ideals of hard work, determination, and self-sacrifice enable a young boy to lift himself from poverty. …show more content…
It seems as though Alger believed that all homeless youth in New York City were simply lazy squanderers of their money. He seems to suggest that if they would only manage their time and money more efficiently, they wouldn’t be so downtrodden, regardless of outside circumstances. This attitude is illustrated through Dick’s friend Johnny Nolan. Several times throughout the novel, Dick criticizes Johnny’s behavior. No matter the circumstances, Johnny’s problems always stem, in Dick’s eyes, from Johnny’s laziness. For example, when Johnny laments about the scarcity of work, Dick chastises him harshly, telling him “You might [get more jobs] if you tried. I keep my eyes open—that’s the way I get jobs. You’re lazy, that’s what’s the matter” (Alger …show more content…
Johnny’s father, an alcoholic who had thrown a flat-iron at his head, was clearly unsafe for Johnny to live with. As a result, Johnny had run away. After a brief stint living on a farm, Johnny returned to New York City (it is suggested that Johnny still loved his father, despite his abusive nature, prompting his return). Johnny had even tried attending school, but found it too difficult to balance homelessness with the demands school places on a person. This condemned Johnny to a life in the streets, boot blacking. However, from the way Dick speaks to Johnny, repeatedly calling him lazy either to his face or as an aside to the reader, one would think he had chosen this life. In reality, Johnny Nolan probably was not lazy, by any means. Alger simply had a poor understanding of how homelessness and surviving in an unsafe environment affects all aspects of an individual’s life. Although the idea that Johnny could have pulled himself from poverty if he had worked harder has the potential to give the reader hope, it’s unfortunately a naïve idea at best. Sometimes, circumstances are simply more oppressive than that, and it takes more than one individual’s hard work to overcome
Although it may be alcohol that led him to that moment, Wagamese argues that the health-related negative behaviour is caused by the underlying determinant of employment, as demonstrated by Dick’s father unemployment and the subsequent “employment” that Dick obtained. The critique of the manslaughter must take into account how unemployment of Dick’s father in conjunction with the lack of schooling Dick experienced led him to the life-defining moment. Therefore, it is too narrow to blame the death of his nephew on account of Dick being intoxicated. Instead, Wagamese purposely gave Dick the history of unemployment and underemployment to argue that Dick’s trigger into poverty and the health related issues that arose from it are from the underlying disparities of
The literature of the nineteenth century cataloged the social, economical and political changes during its period. Through it many new concerns and ideologies were proposed and made their journeys through intellectual spheres that have endured and kept their relevance in our own period today. The literature, sometimes quite overtly, introduced the issues arising with the changes in society specifically due to the industrial revolution. In this mixture of new ideas was the question of women's labor and functions among this rapidly changing society. American authors as well as Victorian authors, like George Gissing and Mabel Wotton, explored these issues somewhat explicitly during this period. In America, Louisa May Alcott and Charlotte Perkins Gilman expressed these issues in short stories with strong implications of the dangers of unfulfilled or unsatisfying labor available to women.
Hank, if he were more independent, he would have had the foresight to see that this was a bad situation and would have been strong enough to get out of it, but instead, Hank was motivated by his neediness and dependency. Hanks lack of decision making lead him to have little control or choice over his life and the events that unfolded. Lack of dependence and choice were two major defining characteristics of poverty as told by Vollman. Hanks dependence on people lead him to become choice poor, which with little to no choices he was forced to become more and more dependent on the people around him, which mirror and affirms Vollmann 's perspective of poverty as a vicious cycle and shows just how poor Hank truly was not due to finances but because of circumstance and his inability to be independent which ultimately caused him to become choice
The first relationships with the upper-class that Ragged Dick builds are with Mr. Whitney and his nephew Frank. “I may be rash in trusting a boy of whom I know nothing, but I like your looks…” says Mr. Whitney (Alger 23). Dick’s appearance at the time could not be called proper by any means; he truly lives up to the name Ragged. Whitney talks more about his inner features rather than his physical ones; he could see Dicks accountability and honesty. Before he lets Dick give his nephew a tour he lets him take a bath, gives him a new suit, and even grants him five dollars. Mr. Whitney leaves Dick with some advice, “your future position depends mainly upon yourself” (79). The next person of the upper-class Dick becomes acquainted with is Mr. Grayson. The day before he acquires the suit from Mr. Whitney, Mr. Grayson employs Dick to shine his shoes; he doesn’t have time to wait till Dick gets back with his change. When Dick comes by to drop off Mr. Grayson’s change the next day, dressed in his new suit, he is invited to attend Mr. Grayson’s Sunday school class where Mr. Grayson would “do what he can to help [Dick]” (102). Dick probably would not have gotten the invitation to Su...
The decade following the Reconstruction Era in American history is brilliantly and descriptively named; the Gilded Age was coated with superficial prosperity which buried its hardships that laid within its core. The rise of big business grabbed American’s attention---whether it was in a positive or negative notion--- and the United State’s focus on minorities declined. Women in the Gilded Age were continuous victims to inequality in contrast to their male counterparts, and the opportunity to pursue their own economic quickly turned into another element of inequality between the genders. On the other hand, the general working class quickly were slaves to big business and the new factory system. Working conditions and wages were unbearable,
The Incorporation of America sets a high standard for itself, one in which it doesn’t necessarily meet; however, the work is still expansive and masterful at describing the arguments of the Gilded Age.... ... middle of paper ... ... “Machines employed in production under the present system are “absolutely injurious,” rendering the workman more dependent; depriving him of his skill and of opportunities to acquire it; lessening his control over his own condition and the hope of improving it; cramping his mind, and in many cases distorting and enervating his body.”
O’Donnell who was with his company for eleven years, would lose their jobs to a machine who could do the job quicker or to a worker who would work for a lower wage, like young boys or immigrants. O’Donnell described how men would gather to be picked for work in the mill and the men with young boys to serve as “back-boys” always got picked first because they could do the work faster and the young boys worked for $.30 or $.40 a day as opposed to the $1.50 O’Donnell usual took home for a day’s work. He also described how it didn’t take a skilled worker like himself to operate the new ring-spinners that expedited the cotton spinning process. But skilled workers and laborers weren’t the only ones who were “under the plating” of the Gilded Age. In Document 19-2, women described the struggles of working as domestic servants. Many women went to work during the late 19th century to help out their families in this time of financial anguish. Many took up jobs as domestic
Different documents in the Gilded Age prominently illustrated gender inequality in their portrayal of men and women within society. Many photographs in the time period by Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine did not shed light on a woman’s hardships, but rather undermined their domestic work. Society failed to give women credit for their work at home due to the common misconception that a woman’s work was easier than that of a man’s. Margaret Byington’s article Homestead: The Households of a Mill Town contrastingly gave an accurate portrayal of the distress women faced in their everyday life. The representation of women in the Gilded Age varies significantly between that in the photographs, and their domestic, weak personification, and in Byington’s article, which gives women a more accurate depiction through their domestic duties.
Working-class families are anything but lazy. Fifty plus hours a week with an average of two to three mouths to feed and backs to cloth, doesn't leave much time left for sleep let alone family bonding. As a young child, Nathan understood one thing for sure - work equaled money and that you need money to survive, especially in the "white man's world." At age thirteen, Nathan was too young, innocent, and ignorant to the fact that racism existed anywhere and everywhere he went. Working to him at this stage in his life was just that...working.
Dick had brain damage caused by a concussion as well as a character disorder. Dick is also known for his impulsive decisions, not thinking of the consequences they may have. He is addicted to stealing and nothing will stop him until he gets what he wants. Dick is emotionally detached and cannot very well have sympathy for his actions on other people, this is why he can so easily do the things he does without feeling guilt.
At least the father could realize that fact on his own. The only good thing that could possibly come out of this father-son relationship is that Johnny will learn a lesson from it, and will never treat his son this way, that is if he has a one. When the father finally realizes that he and his son’s bad relationship is all his fault it is too late. The damage had already been done. All his son wanted was to have a caring father and he realized this too late. At least Johnny had a good mother, who really cared about him. All though I think that Johnny’s mother should have confronted her husband about his actions. Johnny will be scarred for life from his childhood and will never be able to trust someone fully. This is all his dad’s fault, and I hope that Johnny’s father regrets and feels the pain of losing his son’s truth for the rest of his life. He deficiently deserves to after all of his careless actions,what he did was unforgivable. I cannot relate to Johnny and how he must have felt, but I can imagine it was horrible. His dad was selfish and reckless and Johnny deserved better. He deserved a dad who was
Even though he was a skilled worker, he was proud, and full of arrogance. But after his terrible tragedy, his rude character died in the birth and death room, and Johnny was reborn as a more patient and caring person. He still won't take pity from anyone, but on the inside he is probably crying out for help. Although he has no one to talk to, he does have special talents that help keep him going strong.
Horatio Alger's “Ragged Dick” is a story which expresses the morals found within a fourteen year old homeless boy. This young boy is quite different because of the morals and actions he showcases to others. Unlike other homeless individuals, Ragged Dick is a boy who puts forth honesty while acting in courteous ways which represent a true level of dignity. Although Ragged Dick is such a prideful and respectful young boy, he is also known as a “spendthrift.” Spendthrifts are individuals who are careless with their actions in terms of their spending as they have little no regard for their money. One example of this can be seen as we read, “Dick's appearance as he stood beside the box was rather peculiar. 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 antiquity” (Alger).
Just as Johnny’s courage shines through so does his fast maturity from child to adult. His childhood was stolen away from him by his illness but instead of sulking he pulls himself together. He takes every difficulty in stride, and gets through them. Even when he is feeling down he hides it for he does not want anyone else to feel his pain. Being a seventeen year old boy he wants to do the things all other seventeen year old boys do.
Dick's career is given its first great boost by a chance meeting with Torpenhow, a Special Correspondent for a news syndicate sent to the Sudan to cover the ultimately unsuccessful expedition to relieve Gordon. Torpenhow sees Dick's talents and immediately signs him up to supply drawings for his syndicate at a pittance. In this world of manly men, it's assumed that the strong will struggle forward on the thinest of chances, and the weak will be swept away. Dick and Torpenhow become close friends in the course of the campaign, but in the midst of a battle Dick is wounded on the head and has a moment's flashback to the world of his childhood and Massie, whom he fell in love with shortly before they last parted.