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Analysis Of Horatio Alger's Stories

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Horatio Alger is described as “the classic American hero, a writer of mediocre fiction with a formula for commercial success.” (Dalton) He found success by writing fictional stories that seemed to inspire children living in poverty to rise above all that was holing them down through hard work and determination. What Alger did not write was that this is a very unlikely feat to be accomplished by just any poverty stricken child. In reality it takes more than just hard work and determination to enable financial security, you need money to start with. Which makes Alger’s stories hard to apply to real life situations in today’s world. Money runs the world now and without it, you are not likely to get very far. However, Alger wants us to believe in his three messages, “each of us is judged solely on her or his …show more content…

We live a much different time where the cost of living has increased and the job availability has decreased. “According to the Pew Study on the American Dream, social mobility is increasingly difficult, if not impossible; the study found those born at both the top and the bottom of the “income ladder” stay where they are from one generation to the next.” (Rooks) Meaning that if you are born into poverty it is more likely than not that you will stay there. This could help to reason why politicians have a hard time coming up with a good plan of action to help those in poverty. While Horatio Alger’s stories may have been a good inspiration for young and old during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s; he should not in reality be take seriously. In all his stories are fiction and are meant for entertainment purposes. Not to be interpreted into political and economical ideals of the American dream. If Horatio taught us anything it should be to work hard and not give up even if it means you might not catch that “lucky

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