Mr. Greyson Character Analysis in Ragged Dick: Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks

Mr. Greyson is a businessman and Sunday School teacher who first meets Ragged Dick when the boy offers to shine his shoes. Dick is unable to provide Greyson with the proper change, and Greyson suggests that the boy bring the change to his office later on. He doesn’t suspect this will actually happen but is curious to see if Dick will keep the change or return it as promised. Throughout the story, Greyson is always willing to take a chance on Dick and, later, on Fosdick, despite the two boys’ lowly status in life. He invites the boys into his home, treats them as equals, and works hard to improve their religious education. He also provides a generous recommendation to Fosdick, which helps him secure his job as a store clerk. Although Greyson appears only sporadically, his appearance always enriches the boys’ lives.

Mr. Greyson Quotes in Ragged Dick: Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks

The Ragged Dick: Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Greyson or refer to Mr. Greyson. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Signet edition of Ragged Dick: Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks published in 1990.

Mr. Henderson, this is a member of my Sunday school class, for whose good qualities and good abilities I can speak confidently.

Related Characters: (speaker),

Related Symbols:

Page Number and Citation: 127

Explanation and Analysis:

Mr. Greyson Character Timeline in Ragged Dick: Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Greyson appears in Ragged Dick: Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Fortune Favors the Industrious Theme Icon

The man, Mr. Greyson, is amused and takes an instant liking to Dick. When Greyson pays for his shoeshine,... (full context)

When Mr. Greyson departs, Dick continues to search for customers. He is a hardworking young man, the narrator... (full context)

...shining shoes, Dick remembers that he failed to return the change he’d promised to Mr. Greyson days earlier. He goes to the gentleman’s office immediately, hoping that the man won’t think... (full context)

Greyson is surprised both by Dick’s new appearance and the honesty he showed in returning the... (full context)

At week’s end, Dick contemplates going to Mr. Greyson’s Sunday School. He’s almost talked himself out of it when Fosdick intervenes, offering to go... (full context)

At the church, Dick and Fosdick find Mr. Greyson, who sits the boys with him and his family for the service. After the service... (full context)

On the way to, and during, lunch, Dick finds himself talking incessantly with Mr. Greyson’s daughter, Ida. She thinks that Dick is just like any of the other boys she’s... (full context)

At Sunday School, Mr. Greyson becomes aware of Dick’s complete lack of religious education and graciously adjusts his lesson plan... (full context)

...seem at a loss when he’s asked for references. However, at that exact moment, Mr. Greyson enters the store and greets Fosdick happily. Greyson eagerly tells the store’s owner about Fosdick’s... (full context)