Life in New York with the Boot Blacks, because he played an important character in this book who was not apart of wealth at first. Dick started off sleeping in a wooden box filled with straw and had no money for food nor desired needs. Dick was a well mannered, strait minded, loyal kid who would not steel and with his determination, as well as the right opportunity, he became the meaning of Social Darwinism in the city of New York. In this society and time, many similar occasions would not turn out the same as Dick’s did, therefore, due to the fact that many people rarely get the chance ND opportunity to really show their talent.
It takes hard determination and some luck in order to become successful in our society. Social Darwinism during the Gilded Age was categorized as everyone for themselves and only the most determined to get rich would succeed while others who are not determine would stay poor and in the slumps of the streets of New York, and sooner or later, they would pass away in the slumps of the streets. The poor had a choice to choose whether they want to stay poor or choose to better their lives through all the work that was being offered in New York.
Dick never really had a steady job nor was well educated, but he earned his money by shinning shoes on the streets through hard work, loyalty, and showing some entertainment to his customers. This was demonstrated to us by Dick when many of his customers handed him more than ten cents per shine and instead of running off with the extra money he would always offer to get change and drop it off. Being a part of Social Darwinism, Dick took opportunities that no one would care to think of or see.
For example, the time where Frank, a young boy, was visiting his uncle to go sight seeing in New York, Dick over heard the conversation and took an opportunity of showing New York to the young boy. Many of these events happened through luck for Dick or else many Of the stories that happened and occurred would not Of happened for the young shoe shiner in the streets. Being successful takes a lot of determination, commitment, and a lot of luck because you can’t just have wealth handed to you unless you are born into a wealthy family.
Dick, the character in Ragged Dick, Or, Street Life In New York With Boot – Black, came across many opportunities as a young kid in the streets and was not the deal teen. He was a smoker, gambler, and a drinker who spent the money he earned in a day in a single night. Even though Dick was a drinker and a smoker, he was well determined to make his money in any means as opportunities came up on the streets. I believe that it does not take determination, but as well as luck and open opportunities or else some doors would not open to better yourselves.
In today’s market or job opportunities, there are always requirements as well as more than one person competing for the same job as you are, which makes it harder to obtain a decent career n which you have devoted the majority of your life studying for. Luck comes to you if you look for it, as for Dick, it came in the streets of New York when he offered to take Mr.. Whitey’s young nephew sight seeing before going to boarding school, and as a reward, Dick was given a suite of clothes in which he was grateful for.
The new suite that Dick received transformed him into a new person, who no longer Was recognized as a shoe shiner on the streets. If Dick had not offered his services and looked so honest, I believe that this opportunity would of never opened up for the young teenager in the book. Just like Social Darwinism, only the most determined will control their future, unlike Dick’s poor friend Johnny Nolan who was lazy and undetermined to get out of sleeping in barrels in the streets. O not believe you can control your own future because many factors and considerations are to play a roll and you can not determine what is going to happen. Something that is needed in having a good future is the factor of luck and open opportunities. Hard determination and honesty paved off during the Gilded Age. A huge number f young kids and adults were being exposed to Tobacco, liquor, gambling, and physical abuse making them addicts and big gamblers wasting the majority of their money on these things rather than food. Live luck played a roll in becoming wealthy and bettering their future because being exposed to these things at the age of thirteen, Rigged Dick kept a goal in mind and was determined to get out of the streets and into an office. Many opportunities opened up for young Dick during working on the streets, such as, Frank, a young teenage boy, who became friends with Dick and gave him a suite case f clothes. Becoming successful is not all about being wealthy or having a great job just like Frank mentioned to Dick. If you’re try to be somebody, and grow up into a respectable member of society, you may not become rich, it is not everyone that become rich” (406). I agree with what Frank mentioned to Dick because you do not need to be rich in order to have a good life, I would rather be happy than being miserable with lots of money. Many actors, athletes, and wealthy people have plenty Of money, but that does not mean you are completely happy. Athletes and actors are always traveling and away from home because of work, therefore, many of them go into depression and end up committing suicide.
Social Darwinism was not about getting rich and staying rich, it was about bettering your self through hard work, honesty, and education. Dick was not the ideal thirteen year old because he was a smoker, a drinker, and a gambler who blew his money in a single night on theater and his friends, but he was an honest, determined, and hard working young man who had a goal in life. Fully agree in which hard work, honesty, and being educated can change your future because being educated in our society and as well as the 1 ass’s played a great part in becoming successful.
The more educated you were and are now gives you a broader opportunity in becoming successful in the lines of work due to the competition that you have against other employees going for the same job as you. If you are well educated and well trusted, then you have a better chance on climbing up the ladder in your work. Just like Social Darwinism, only the most determined will better their life. Dick was not the most educated boy, but he was a well determined and onset boy who succeeded in life in the streets of New York.
By being honest to the people he talked to, he was respected and had open opportunities to work. All of these factors played a roll in young Dick who was not rich, didn’t have a family, or even a place that he could call home, but he was a true gentleman who did not let anything or anyone stop him from being successful. Horopito Alger wrote this book to demonstrate and show acts of Social Darwinism during the Gilded age in America around 1878-1889. The Gilded Age in America was a time and place where anyone was in control of heir future, especially their wealth.
