Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Analyzing character in Ragged Dick
To begin class today (Wednesday, March 26), I’d like you to take a few minutes and describe Dick as a character. What is he like? What kind of personality does he have? How does act? What are his values? After you describe him in your own words, include a brief quotation or passage from the novel that illustrates one of your points about Dick. Then explain how this quote relates to your sense of him as a character.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
Ragged Dick is a character who is both honorable and strong willed. Having lived on the streets for his entire life, he has matured far beyond the years he has lived. Alger says, “He was above doing anything mean or dishonorable. He would not steal, or cheat, or impose upon younger boys, but was frank and straightforward, manly and self-reliant” (p. 7). In the first half of the novel, Dick has exemplified these traits. Though he has no money, his actions reflect his character. For example, during the part when he and Frank encounter a man on Wall Street who has had his money stolen by a swindler. He and his friend Frank go and find the man who stole the money, and instead of keeping such a large sum which could change his life, they bring it right back to the man who lost it. Though he has nothing, he has learned the values of trust and honesty, and understands that in order to be successful, he must earn his own money and use it wisely; however, this seems to be one of his main faults. Alger says, “But Dick was careless of his earnings. Where they went he could hardly have told himself. However much he managed to earn during the day, all was generally spent before morning” (p. 6). However, toward the end of the book, with the advice of Mr. Whitney, Frank’s uncle, the reader can see that Dick has become more aware of his earnings. He goes and buys a place to live first and foremost, and then buys himself some food. In the first half of this novel, the reader can see that Dick is a truly noble boy, and the author even refers to him as “our hero” almost as much as he calls him by name. He is young, but his experience thus far has allowed him to find his personal values and live them out.
Our main character and the hero of our novel is Ragged Dick. This young man claims his profession to be shoe shining, but his life is far from easy. With no true home, Dick rises early from his one-night makeshift bed, beginning with not a penny to his name. He must work hard early so he can make enough money for breakfast. Still, Ragged Dick is good at what he does and as the story goes on, the reader becomes more aware of his skill. In considering his name, the Ragged aspect comes from the manner in which Dick is dressed and at the start of the novel, he only begins with one set of clothes and he is not able to wash himself daily. However, upon meeting Frank and procuring a new set of clothes, Ragged Dick becomes unrecognizable to his friends and clients, and he transforms into Dick. Frank begins to teach Dick about the importance of education, cleanliness, and respectability. In learning these new values, the reader is able to learn more about Dick’s character. He is almost completely illiterate, but he is still smart enough to understand the world he lives in. Dick distinguishes right from wrong when he promises that he has never stolen in his life before. Still, a major explanation of Dick’s life is the lack of love and support he has had. Dick constantly tells Frank how he is the first person to ever truly care about him and upon leaving the Astor House alone, “A feeling of loneliness came over [Dick] as he left the presence of Frank, for whom he had formed a strong attachment in the few hours he had known him” (57). It is from the love and care Frank shares with Dick that a transformation begins in him, and Dick instantly begins to work toward a respectable lifestyle.
Ragged Dick is a very colorful character. He has a very sharp wit and a wonderful sense of humor. I particularly love his sarcasm. For example when they are on the 3td Avenue street car and a woman accuses him and his friend Frank of stealing her wallet, which she later finds in her pocket, Dick meets the woman’s sour mood with a bit of sarcasm, “ Thank you ma’am your handsome apology is accepted” even though the woman does not apology at all. It is this type of humor and wit that make the book very interesting to read, and it is one way in which I can relate to Dick. This joking and making fun reveal that Dick tries not to take life too seriously, even though his life is not exactly great. He could simply be sad and feeling sorry for himself all the time, but instead he gets along by using humor. Also, in addition to have a fine sense of humor Dick is also a very intelligent and street wise boy. Having lived on the streets almost his whole life he knows all the ins and outs of swindlers and such trickery, that he is able to help those who have been swindled and he himself knows when someone is trying to cheat him. Dick is also a very driven boy, unlike Johnny, he is not lazy at all, he works hard all day shining shoes so that he may earn enough money to go gambling or to the theater, or whatever he chooses. Dick also has a very strong sense of right and wrong. He does not pretend that he hasn’t wrong things in his life, but he does have values and he holds steadfast to them. For example, he is strongly opposed to stealing, he says that it is mean and he refuses to do it no matter how hungry he gets. Dick proves to be a very interesting character and his personality makes the book all the more interesting to read.
Ragged Dick is nothing short of a classic novel character. He is such a young kid, but he is clever, and he certainly knows how to get around town. He shines shoes, but he goes about it in a unique way compared to some of his fellow shoe shiners. His friend Johnny Nolan has the same profession but he makes about a third of the money that Dick does, and this is all because of Dick’s personality. He jokes around with his customers and has a sincere and playful way of doing his business. Alger describes him as attractive for a young boy, especially compared to his friends who look more dangerous and scruffy. Dick is approachable, but his friends give an impression of being a little rough around the edges. Dick also can clean up very nicely. When he gets all cleaned up after meeting Frank, he apparently does not look like the same person, but his personality shines through. Without his bold and friendly personality, Dick would have never even met Frank. On page 15, Dick had been listening to a conversation between Frank and his uncle, and decides to make a move, “Being an enterprising young man, he thought he saw a chance for a speculation, and determined to avail himself of it. Accordingly, he stepped up to the two just as Frank’s uncle was about leaving, and said, ‘I know all about the city, sir; I’ll show him around if you want me to’.” Dick is willing to approach two strangers that he had been eavesdropping on. He is bold and vibrant, and despite his ragged appearance, he is able to sway the opinions of Frank’s uncle. While other shoe shiners like Dick act lowly and unapproachable, Dick willingly approaches with enthusiasm and pizzazz.
Dick is a strong-hearted young orphan who lives his life roaming the streets of New York City and shining shoes for petty change. He is very knowledgeable about street smarts and survival in the city and he does not let anyone get the best of him. The streets have been his home since age seven, so he recognizes all the tricks of the streets. Dick prides himself on his stand-alone, hardworking attitude and he works hard for everything he has. He is honest and witty and although he does not have a formal education he has firm moral values and an innate sense of what is right and wrong. What pays testament most to Dick’s character defining sense of morals is his opinion of stealing. On page 38, in a conversation with Frank, Dick says, “I’ve knowed what it was to be hungry and cold, with nothin’ to eat or to warm me; but there’s one thing I could never do.” Frank asks him, “What’s that?” “I never stole. It’s mean and I wouldn’t do it.” This exchange really defines Dick’s character. He works hard, supports himself and knows that even if he is down and out, stealing is wrong. Dick is the classic independent hard-working idealistic American.
There are several main points about Dick emphasized in the novel about his character, personality and appearance. Although he is living on the streets, oftentimes without a place to wash, he is a relatively handsome boy. Dicks redeeming and heroic qualities do not reside in just his outward appearance. The entire excerpt we read greatly emphasized Dick’s responsibility, honesty, and dutifulness which make his customers respect him and the reader side with him. Another aspect of his personality that helps a reader see potential in his character is his sociability and connectivity. He is, basically, a people person; understanding the necessities of effective and active interpersonal communication. He actively seeks out customers and seeks to understand their basic needs as well. Dick is an open and honest character, completely candid and translucent, and Alger does a fantastic job of pointing out Dick’s less-redeeming qualities to help Dick establish and qualify his frankness and honesty. I think Dick best describes his own honesty, the one thing he is proud of, when he says “I’ve knowed what it was to be hungry and cold, with nothin’ to eat or to warm me; but there’s one thing I never could do… I never stole… It’s mean and I wouldn’t do it.” He knows his moral values and constantly aligns with them as we see in multiple examples.
Although he is full of potential from an outside perspective, Dick has only known the life he has lived and the lives of his friends and peers. He needs a broader perspective in order to lay out a life-plan or to even see another alternative lifestyle; a lifestyle he has always assumed was out of his reach.
Ragged Dick comes off as everyones favorite all American kid. He works hard, is honest, very straight forward and loves to have fun. In the book Horatio Alger described Dicks personality as being a "frank, straight forward manner that makes him a favorite." And that is very true, he is not afraid to speak his mind and has a charm that everybody seems to pick up on and love.
Dick is a very confident, hard working man, so in being so, he knows that he can make money even if it comes to shining shoes. Therefore he is strongly against stealing from anyone even if he could get away with it.
I would describe Dick as someone who works very hard and then has a lot of fun. He likes to go to the Bowery Theatre, drink, smoke, and gamble. He makes decent money during the day but seems to spend it all at night. Over all he is a very independent, hard working, fun kid who loves life. Although Dick comes off as some ragidy, dirty little kid, he is a classy person under all of the worn out clothes and dirt. Dick did not even mind dirt, "he had no particular dislike to dirt and did not think it is necessary to remove several dark streaks on his face and hands." This quote is exactly how i see him. He does not care what people think of him because he knows that people will like him and will find him charming.
Ragged Dick is a surprising character. He's really honest and has a very optimistic outlook on life, though his life isn't all that grand. He knows his way around New York, and he is very street smart. He doesn't steal, no matter how hard his life gets and he likes to help others out when they are in sticky situations. "He was above doing anything mean or dishonorable. He would not steal, or cheat, or impose upon upon younger boys, but was frank and straight-forward, manly, and self-reliant."(pg.7) Dick has a very extravagant personality. because of that, he is sometimes careless with his earnings. He blows most of it away on smokes, gambling, and treating his friends to dinner. He's really clever, and he always has a comeback any comment he gets. He likes to pull harmless pranks on people which help him out or others, like he did on the lady selling apples. "I told him I'd exert my influence with the president to have him tried by habeas corpus," said Dick.(pg.53) He uses small lies to get what he wants, such as the bill the swindler took from the "countryman" so that Dick could give it back to the young man. As his friendship grows with Frank, he starts to change his lifestyle for the better.
Ragged Dick is classic almost to the point of being formulaic: he is the typical street-smart poor boy. He is clever, relatively successful, and generous. Unfortunately, he is also short-sighted (until he meets Frank) and, in his own words, ignorant. Prior to his introduction to Frank (and his wealthy uncle), Dick lived from paycheck to paycheck, in a way. His character is full of contradictions: he is driven enough to work hard and to be annoyed by the laziness of his peers, and yet he has no qualms with gambling away a whole day’s pay in one hand. This short-sightedness probably stems from the fact that he is blind of the possibility of upward mobility. Despite his natural talents and intelligence, he does not see himself attaining a higher position in life. When Frank tells him that he doesn’t have to shine shoes forever, Dick responds “No, I’m goin’ to knock off when I get to be ninety.” (29) This represents Dick’s self doubt, but also his sense of humor. Although he has a strong sense of morality--he has never stolen--he doesn’t take life too seriously. His sense of humor may be a type of coping mechanism. His independence and poverty are a lot to deal with for someone of his young age, and it is significantly easier on him to try to have fun along the way.
When reading Ragged Dick, he seems to be very affected with the way he has grown up. His parents had left him or ended up dead when he was very young and he eventually had to live on his own. Compared to most of the kids who live in New York, Dick is very poor and has to work his way up in the world rather than being born with the fortunate opportunities they are presented with growing up. “I ain’t got no mother. She died when I wasn’t but three years old. My father went to sea; but he went off before mother died, and nothing was ever heard of him. I expect he got wrecked, or died at sea” (37). However, he is also a very strong-willed and honest person which tells a lot about the values of his character. He presents himself with a blue collar work ethic type of attitude and is a very social type of person who works well with other people. Dick stands out greatly towards the rest of the world and doesn’t steal although he is very poor. Many people who would be brought up similarly to how he has been and live in a similar type of socioeconomic background would typically steal and beg their way on the streets. On the other hand, Dick stands out from the stereotypical homeless person because he is very friendly and enjoys his life just the way it is by being optimistic.
Dick is a character who is way beyond his years and began to mature very early. He smokes cigars, gambles, always looks out for his business and is very street smart. He has had a rough childhood being an orphan since the age of seven and has been working to support himself without a great amount of money or guardians. He is a young man of strong morals and an incredible work ethic which is very inspiring. He has a very playful and sarcastic personality that is quite amusing. Dick has a lot of street smarts that are a result of his experiences. His biggest value is not stealing which he makes very clear. He also has a lot of confidence in his knowledge. Dick has been around the streets making a living for his own for a while and he is very street smart and knows how to handle himself.
“ “There isn’t but one thing to do. Just give me back that money, and I’ll see that you’re not touched. If you don’t, I’ll give you up to the first p’liceman we meet.” Dick looked so determined, and spoke so confidently, that the other, overcome by his fears, no longer hesitated, but passes a roll of bills to Dick and hastily left the boat.”
This passage describes the knowledge and power that Dick has even being such a young boy. He is very knowledgeable and generous trying to help others. He could have easily acted like he did not know about the situation and not tried to get the money returned or gotten the money back and kept it but instead he is a very trustworthy honest character that wants the best for everyone.
Upon first opening Horatio Alger Jr.’s novel Ragged Dick the reader is introduced to Dick, a “vagabond” who has been sleeping in a box on the street. The porter who wakens him (and perhaps the reader as well) believes that Dick makes his money by stealing. However, it soon becomes very apparent that though Dick has fallen upon hard times, he is not a thief. As the novel continues, the reader becomes aware that Dick holds a very strict moral center. He earns his meager pay by shining shoes and working hard and he states many times that he has not and would never steal. Dick’s honesty is also seen throughout the novel. When asked to get change for a patron, Dick must fight a dishonest character in order to complete his task. One of Dick’s most fascinating qualities however, is his positive attitude and willingness to work to succeed. Though the reader is aware that Dick is living on the street, does not receive regular meals, and does not have a regular place to stay Dick’s happy demeanor never falters. This piece of Dick’s character is the most important because it demonstrates the way in which he is able to be happy with his current life, but also strive for something greater.
Another crucial part of Dick’s character is his wisdom about street life and the character of others. This is made most obvious in chapter seven, when Dick retrieves the money for the country boy. During this scene Dick tells Frank, “There is an awful lot of meanness in the world, I’m afraid.” This statement coupled with Dick’s overall optimism throughout the novel shows that although he can be positive, he is also aware that evil exists within his world.
Dick is a bright chap with a quick wit and a jovial air. Despite the poor cards he’s been dealt, Dick chooses to always see the bright side of things. Dick is a boot-black, polishing shoes for a living and with his high-energy and friendly manner, he is able to do fairly well for himself.
Dick is a very smart kid, but not in the traditional “book sense”. Instead, Dick is very “street smart” knowing the ins and outs of life in the city. He knows all the tricks in the book and the different schemes that people will play and how to avoid them with a smile and a quick remark.Overall, Dick is pretty satisfied with the life he’s living and makes the best of everything. Even if he is sleeping in a box at night, at least he’s got a comfortable bit of straw for a mattress.
Not completely perfect, Dick has a few flaws which are clearly do to his unfortunate living and upbringing. While he is able to make a good amount of money each day, instead of putting it away or saving it, Dick chooses to go out and have a good amount of fun each night, gambling, treating the boys to an oyster stew, or going to a movie. Also, Dick has picked up the nasty habit of smoking, but in a place where it’s “not uncommon to see a little boy, too young to be out of his mother’s sight, smoking with all the apparent satisfaction of a veteran smoker,” this is to be expected.
But all of Dick’s faults are purely circumstantial. All he really needed was for someone to show him the error of his ways for him to turn himself around renounce his impoverished lifestyle.
Dick. Quite the personable chap, always looking for the fast dollar. Dick is quite professional in his demeanor; His social etiquette plays a large part as to why he is so good with others.
It seems as though Dick is a fairly liberal guy and seeks to be an optimist. He has a wonderful outlook on life and would be very good to you if you were a true friend. Dick is very personable and gets along with most people. Honesty is very important to dick; he has a very well rounded set of social values. His wit is clever, dry, and sarcastic at times.
Dick is clever and has extensive knowledge of the city. He knows all of the different types of personality’s people have, and he does a great job of knowing how to use that to his advantage.
Dick is a great judge of character and uses his new suit to his advantage, but he knows when it is not appropriate, and how to get the most meaningful use out of it. The suit may also represent dick succumbing to ever pervading element of consumerism during that time.
Post a Comment