Horatio Alger’s Ragged Dick is a “…quintessential rags-to-riches story…” (Hoeller ix). The story’s main theme is America’s “… central myth, the American Dream…”, which Suzanne Keen would regard as a Masterplot, or “… one of the major ‘metanarratives’ or governing fictions by which western civilization understands itself.” (Hoeller ix; 88). Richard Hinter (Ragged Dick) stars in this 19th century young adult novel as the young, homeless, down-on-his-luck street boy, who eventually is freed from his own bad habits and poverty through altruism and hard-work (Hoeller xi, 110-111). The success of Ragged Dick‘s narrative is seemingly dependent on its ability to connect with the youth, or ‘juveniles’ of America (Hoeller x). This narrative is thus also dependent on the execution of the Masterplot of ‘The American Dream’, as it is a foundation of cultural context with which all of Alger’s readers would relate to. Additionally, the development of the character of Ragged Dick is dependent on his round, yet typed development: a young white boy with complex human flaws, yet, a hero nonetheless (Hoeller 6, 110-111; Keen 68). The traits of Richard Hunter are vital to understanding the success of Alger’s narrative in his book Ragged Dick— a slight transgression could have lead to the failure of the Masterplot’s execution.
For instance, if Richard Hunter was made to be black by Horatio Alger, it’s possible this transgression could have disconnected his narrative from the Masterplot Alger was trying to sell, in the minds of the middle class young Americans reading his books. Roediger, in The Wages of Whiteness, discusses the complexity of race and poverty; these topics are often interwoven culturally, yet unwoven by the narratives supported by society. Roediger notes on arguments made politically in America, writing, “… neoliberalism and neoconservatism argue that race is not (or ought not to be) ‘the issue’ but that economic growth — neatly separable from race — will solve conflicts that only seem to revolve around race.” (8-9). This is a vital aspect, not only of America’s political structure, but of the country’s cultural beliefs. Evidence of this could be that the Masterplot of ‘The American Dream’ never specified race, therefore, we believe that financial security and race have few implications on one another. Additionally, when put in historical context, the work of people of color in the United States (specifically black people) has been systematically under-valued and exploited; black history in the U.S. is often foundational on the history of slavery and Jim Crowe (Roediger 13-15). Since orking one’s way towards economic success was only awarded to those of specified racial privilege in the U.S., and is therefore heavily associated with whiteness (Roediger 13-15). Thus, it can be argued that there is an inherent whiteness of the characters of The American Dream, as the capability to move from rags-to-riches can only be possessed by those who exist in a society where their work is valued monetarily.
To summarize, the racial identity of Richard Hunter is vital to his ability to play his specified role in Alger’s ‘American Dream’ Masterplot, Ragged Dick. Only once Dick has transgressed the racially sensationalized role of ‘street arab’, and become the benevolent, white, clerk of Richard Hunter, is he able to actualize the the ‘myth’ of the ‘American Dream’ (Hoeller ix, 1,110-115). This is heavily reliant on the whiteness of his character, as Roediger illuminated, “…the white working class… comes to think of itself and it’s interests as white.” (12). This clarifies that in Alger’s 19th century young adult novel, the character of Richard Hunter had to be white as his interests and motives where decidedly intrinsic to his race— especially as perceived by the middle class readers supporting the book’s story.
