Horatio Alger & Contemporary Criticism & Journalism

Cara Erdheim - 'Why Speak of American Stories as Dreams?'

"In The Urgent West (1969), Allen designates Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence as the original dream document, and he claims that the American republic gave birth to a reality that did not exist for early North American settlers."

Erdheim cites Allen's notion of the Declaration of Independence as a kind of blueprint for the subsequent development of the American dream, manifested equally in reality and the nation's literature. Any form of minimal analysis is likely to conclude that, to some degree - this is true. After all, there is something to be said for the fact that America's very inception as a nation stems from the kind of qualities that were articulated in Jefferson's Declaration. Since America's own genesis in this vein, the narrative of self-made success through quality of character has been reworked beyond imagine on every conceivable scale - national, familial, social, financial, or personal, as evidenced in Horatio Alger's Ragged Dick. Considered alongside his other work (around 100 examples epitomising the phrase 'Variation on a theme'), Alger has been held up as the gold standard for the rags-to-riches story whose legacy remains embedded deep within the core of the national psyche. 

Consequently, it seems logical to establish a comparison between Alger's idea of a personal demonstration of upward social mobility and Jefferson's document from which, according to Allen, all other dream tales have arisen or at the very least, taken significant inspiration. The Declaration of Independence is clear in its ideas of 'Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness' which it famously labels as 'unalienable rights'. Essentially, the attainment of these core principles remains the central theme of the American Dream, and for many people is sufficient to identify the existence of the dream itself, a fact that Erdheim states some contemporary critics flat-out 'deny'. In Ragged Dick, the vehicle through which the aforementioned are realised through an endearing  blend of personal qualities, the most prominent of which are honesty and perseverance. However, returning to the 'Declaration of Independence as a blueprint document, a stark contrast between the means to which the 'Dream' achieved is swiftly revealed. Jefferson and his contemporaries wrote of these unalienable rights "that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted amongst men". Not only does this challenge Alger's notion of how self-amelioration might be achieved, it might suggest some irony as in many ways, it is the government itself that may have been considered responsible in part for the destitution of so many children in urban America of the 19th Century.  Furthermore, the idea of other forces being required is introduced - otherwise phrased as the flaws of individualism. This is a concept better represented in Ragged Dick whose eponymous character's upwards social trajectory is unequivocally dependent upon the aid of his peers and superiors, Frank being a notable example. Here, we might suggest that this help has replaced the role of the government in Jefferson's original description of a primordial American Dream. As an interesting side-note of sorts, the ending of the novel which sees Dick on his way to 'fame and fortune' marks a clear disconnect from the original values that defined early versions of the Dream, perhaps representing some contradiction within Alger's book.

Finally, it is interesting to consider how both Jefferson's notion of a Dream guaranteed by government and Alger's more personalised pursuit of success remain relevant in modern discourse. In particular, the former of these was alluded to in President Barack Obama's 2014 State of the Union address, wherein he implemented the American Dream narrative to advocate an increase in government intervention.

Bibliography

Erdheim, Cara, Why Speak of American Stories as Dreams?, 2003.

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/declaration-of-independence

Obama 2014 State of the Union Address, Retrieved from <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hed1nP9X7pI&feature=youtu.be&t=9m25s>

John Swansburg - 'The Self-Made Man'

"industry, frugality, a penchant for self-improvement—which set him apart from the ne’er-do-wells and confidence men who populate his adventures in the streets of New York. But these attributes merely qualify the Alger hero for success; they don’t produce it."

In light of the aforementioned dependence on external forces as a catalyst for Dick's social improvement and his own demonstration of these positive qualities, Swansburg's comment becomes entirely persuasive. In brief, Dick's character was never sufficient on its own and his terminal success is quite clearly a product of his education and improved appearance. However, it remains important to note that it was Dick's character which made him discernible from the crowd of 'ne'er-do-wells and confidence men' and which attracted those others to aid him in the first place. Perhaps then, the conclusion would be that Dick's personal qualities and the reception of external aid are equally important as factors that fuel his rise through the social ranks of urban America. 

Furthermore, Swansburg's notion of attributes being insufficient to produce success perhaps alludes to the undemocratic nature of the American Dream. This is because, in saying this, Swansburg includes the role of chance or luck in the attainment of success, as arguably demonstrated by Dick's own rise. Consequently, the connotation of Swansburg's words is that success may prove elusive, even if the individual in question is more deserving than his competition, meaning that the process of social mobility is inherently arbitrary and unfair.

This flaw with the American Dream and ideas of success seems increasingly to be a focal point for contemporary critics, a notable example being award-winning journalist Chris Hedges. Hedges states of the American Dream simply that "statistically, we know that's a myth" in an interview opposite former U.S Secretary of State for Public diplomacy and affairs Judith McHale. McHale states that the Dream of integrating into a middle class background is achievable for some but not all and that this "continues to be a very compelling message" despite its fantastical nature.

Bibliography

Swansburg, John, The Self-Made Man, 2014, retrieved from <http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2014/09/the_self_made_man_history_of_a_myth_from_ben_franklin_to_andrew_carnegie.html>

Al Jazeera, Empire - McAmerica: The Success Secrets of Brand USA, 2014. Retrieved from <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DNViKt50mE> (last interview segment only)

Gorman Beauchamp - 'Ragged Dick and the Fate of Respectability'

"This shift occurs for Dick when he is hired (somewhat improbably) by a gentleman, Mr. Whitney, to show his nephew Frank, a prep school student, around New York. To render Dick more presentable for this task, Mr. Whtiney "again somewhat improbably" takes him to his hotel and gives him an old suit which works a miraculous transformation in the urchin's appearance. [...] He is immediately accorded a kind of respect that he has never enjoyed before, by the hotel doorman, by shopkeepers, by a street hustler who takes him for a young swell"

This quote from Beauchamp's essay articulates the role of appearance and external aid in Dick's successful demonstration of upwards social mobility. Evidently, aesthetic self-improvement is instrumental for Dick and the improvements are both immediate and dramatic, quickly establishing this as a key plot point in his narrative.

However, a sceptical critic might view the role of appearance, as summarised here by Beauchamp as ironic or contradictory when viewed in comparison with the general consensus of Alger's stories as 'rags to respectability' rather than 'rags to riches'. This is because Alger has a tendency to emphasise the merits of moral or 'good' personal attributes, yet here, Alger presents Dick's social improvement as being a result of his appearance as opposed to his character which is clearly superfluous to his new-found respect. This may be considered problematic and raises questions about Alger's true advice on social mobility, should Dick's story be intended as something for other youths to replicate. In defining Dick's respect through material wealth, Alger seems to contradict his otherwise unwavering message of personal attributes as the source for social self-improvement. The counter-argument to this would be to revert to the idea of those personal attributes as a facilitating factor; allowing Dick to integrate into the kind of social circles which, in turn, will provide them with the material means of attaining real success.

Bibliography

Beauchamp, Gorman, Ragged Dick and the Fate of Respectability. Retrieved from  <http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mqrarchive/act2080.0031.003/38?page=root;size=100;view=image>

http://taylorwilson37.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/appearances-in-ragged-dick.html