Dick's occupation at the beginning of the novel, boot-blacking, is a difficult job that doesn't confer much status in his society. The novel's central question is how Dick can trade this job for a more lucrative professional one. Yet Alger speaks positively of boot-blacking and uses it as a motif to express the importance of traits like hard work, honesty, and humility. This pattern is evident from the beginning of the novel. In explaining the differences between Dick and Johnny Nolan, Alger writes:
Now, in the boot-blacking business, as well as in higher avocations, the same rule prevails, that energy and industry are rewarded, and indolence suffers.
Here, boot-blacking emblematizes two of the personal characteristics, "energy and industry," that Alger values most throughout the novel. Dick's relative success as a boot-black shows that he possesses those traits and is therefore ready for a professional job. In this sense, though Dick needs to leave boot-blacking behind to achieve a better quality of life, his work as a shoe-shiner requires the same character strengths as the "higher avocations."
Although many people in the novel look down on boot-blacks, Alger describes Dick's work as humble and dignified. When Dick shines Mr. Greyson's shoes for the first time, Alger describes him "flourishing his brush with the air of one skilled in his profession," emphasizing his proficiency and expertise. Later, when Dick laments his status as a poor boot-black to a policeman, the officer reassures him that it's "an honest business." Moments such as these convey Alger's belief that hard work of any kind is valuable, even when society doesn't respect it.
Most importantly, the work of boot-blacking sets Dick up for success as a professional. Alger states explicitly that "to succeed in his profession, [...] a boot-black must depend upon the same qualities which gain success in higher walks in life." In other words, the "energy and industry" that Dick develops and displays as a boot-black have prepared him for the professional job he gains at the end of the novel. Since Alger values professional success immensely, lionizing men like Mr. Whitney and Mr. Greyson who have become successful, this is perhaps the strongest testament to the merits of boot-blacking. In this sense, boot-blacking isn't just an unfortunate job from which Dick must escape; it's a necessary precondition for his journey of upward mobility.
When Dick meets Frank and Mr. Whitney early in the novel, he glimpses the affluent, privileged, and orderly life of the upper class—a mode of living that can be summed up in the word "respectability." Recurring throughout the novel as an aspiration for Dick and a reality for his wealthier patrons, respectability forms a motif that defines Dick's journey of self-improvement.
While Alger uses the word "respectable" from the beginning of the novel, the idea of respectability is first developed by Frank, who tells Dick during their tour of New York in Chapter 6 that:
"If you’ll try to be somebody, and grow up into a respectable member of society, you will."
Here, Frank establishes respectability as the final goal of Dick's transformation and suggests that respectability is about social status; respectability is conferred by other members of society, which is why it matters that Dick obtain a better suit and a more lucrative and valued job than boot-blacking. Telling Dick that he just has to "try to be somebody," Frank argues that respectability is achievable for anybody—and thus implies that those who lack respectability simply aren't trying hard enough.
However, there's more to respectability than appearance and professional status. When Dick expresses shame over his lowly job to Mr. Whitney in Chapter 11, the older man reassures him that:
“All labor is respectable, my lad, and you have no cause to be ashamed of any honest business..."
The respectability that Mr. Whitney preaches—and displays through his own generous behavior towards Dick—involves working hard, being honest, and having the humility to value many different kinds of labor. These are all characteristics Dick possesses even before starting his journey of self-improvement. At the beginning of the novel, Alger notes that Dick has always been an energetic worker and never steals or cheats; only his ignorance and "extravagance" have prevented him from rising out of poverty. Respectability thus draws on some of Dick's innate strengths.
Finally, respectability requires education, adherence to Christianity, and order. When Dick invites Fosdick to share his rented room, the younger boy gives the protagonist his first education and teaches him to pray. When Dick falls asleep for the first time in the tidily religious household they've created, Alger notes that he has made big strides towards "genuine respectability." In this sense, respectability requires conscious personal development through learning, which Dick gains from Fosdick and from Mr. Greyson's Sunday school.
As a motif, respectability combines the novel's main thematic concerns of hard work, thrift, self-presentation, and education. In order to attain respectability, Dick must change his living habits dramatically and adopt new skills and behaviors. In that sense, the idea of respectability underscores Dick's transformation: At the end of the novel, Dick imagines meeting up with Frank again and muses, "He’d find me a little more ’spectable than when he first saw me." At the same time, as his good deeds throughout the novel show, he already possesses the core character traits that make a respectable life possible. Ultimately, Dick's character gives the novel's readers an example to follow as they strive towards respectability in their own lives.
Throughout Ragged Dick, Manhattan's many grand buildings serve as a motif illuminating Dick's steady trajectory out of poverty and towards respectability. As a homeless boot black in Lower Manhattan, Dick sleeps on the streets every night. But he lives among some of the most important business and financial buildings in the city, as becomes evident when he takes Frank on a tour:
“What is that large marble building?” asked Frank, pointing to a massive structure on the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets [...]
“That’s the Custom House,” said Dick.
At first, the buildings Dick shows Frank emphasize the gap between the rich and the poor. Although Dick knows the names and functions of all these buildings (and may even shine shoes for the men who work inside them), he's completely excluded from them and the business operations that produce wealth and prosperity for upper-class Americans. Alger also introduces some important non-business buildings, such as the Fifth Avenue Hotel, Wall Street's Trinity Church, and the Cooper Institute; though Dick is familiar with these buildings and understands their cultural or spiritual significance, he never enters them before his quest for self-improvement begins.
As Dick obtains better clothes, improves himself through education and thrift, and learns to act like a member of the upper class, the doors of these buildings open to him. He goes to church, becomes a customer at the bank, and dines in Mr. Greyson's elegant brownstone home. By showing Dick gaining access to these buildings, Alger argues that attaining prosperity and even luxury in America is a result of individual choices, not the lottery of birth or class status. Ultimately, the buildings signify the upward mobility that Alger believes is possible for Dick and people like him through hard work and responsibility, bolstering his assertion that American democracy has created an ideal society.
When Dick meets Frank and Mr. Whitney early in the novel, he glimpses the affluent, privileged, and orderly life of the upper class—a mode of living that can be summed up in the word "respectability." Recurring throughout the novel as an aspiration for Dick and a reality for his wealthier patrons, respectability forms a motif that defines Dick's journey of self-improvement.
While Alger uses the word "respectable" from the beginning of the novel, the idea of respectability is first developed by Frank, who tells Dick during their tour of New York in Chapter 6 that:
"If you’ll try to be somebody, and grow up into a respectable member of society, you will."
Here, Frank establishes respectability as the final goal of Dick's transformation and suggests that respectability is about social status; respectability is conferred by other members of society, which is why it matters that Dick obtain a better suit and a more lucrative and valued job than boot-blacking. Telling Dick that he just has to "try to be somebody," Frank argues that respectability is achievable for anybody—and thus implies that those who lack respectability simply aren't trying hard enough.
However, there's more to respectability than appearance and professional status. When Dick expresses shame over his lowly job to Mr. Whitney in Chapter 11, the older man reassures him that:
“All labor is respectable, my lad, and you have no cause to be ashamed of any honest business..."
The respectability that Mr. Whitney preaches—and displays through his own generous behavior towards Dick—involves working hard, being honest, and having the humility to value many different kinds of labor. These are all characteristics Dick possesses even before starting his journey of self-improvement. At the beginning of the novel, Alger notes that Dick has always been an energetic worker and never steals or cheats; only his ignorance and "extravagance" have prevented him from rising out of poverty. Respectability thus draws on some of Dick's innate strengths.
Finally, respectability requires education, adherence to Christianity, and order. When Dick invites Fosdick to share his rented room, the younger boy gives the protagonist his first education and teaches him to pray. When Dick falls asleep for the first time in the tidily religious household they've created, Alger notes that he has made big strides towards "genuine respectability." In this sense, respectability requires conscious personal development through learning, which Dick gains from Fosdick and from Mr. Greyson's Sunday school.
As a motif, respectability combines the novel's main thematic concerns of hard work, thrift, self-presentation, and education. In order to attain respectability, Dick must change his living habits dramatically and adopt new skills and behaviors. In that sense, the idea of respectability underscores Dick's transformation: At the end of the novel, Dick imagines meeting up with Frank again and muses, "He’d find me a little more ’spectable than when he first saw me." At the same time, as his good deeds throughout the novel show, he already possesses the core character traits that make a respectable life possible. Ultimately, Dick's character gives the novel's readers an example to follow as they strive towards respectability in their own lives.
Throughout Ragged Dick, the motif of washing up emphasizes Dick's increasing focus on hygiene and his broader personal transformation. As Dick begins his social and economic ascent, one of the first things he learns to do is present himself in a "respectable" manner. This involves obtaining a new suit from Frank but also bathing frequently—a task that is impossible while he lives on the streets; in fact, it's still difficult even after he rents a room. Of Dick's first attempts to wash up in his new room in Mott Street, Alger writes:
Even now he found himself unable to arrange his dishevelled locks, having neither comb nor brush. He determined to purchase a comb, at least, as soon as possible. [...] Meanwhile he combed his hair with his fingers as well as he could, though the result was not quite so satisfactory as it might have been.
By saving his money and finding a cheap room to rent, Dick has gotten himself off the streets and acquired the tools—namely, a washstand—to keep himself clean. This is an enormous step in his journey towards respectability. The fact that Alger expresses Dick's upward movement through the motif of washing up reinforces the thematic importance of clothes and appearances: Dick's improved physical presence both reflects his progress and opens him up to new opportunities.
Yet Alger is quick to note that Dick lacks experience washing up and, at least initially, doesn't do a very good job. His best attempt at the washstand feels "unsatisfactory" and leaves him looking "dishevelled." Dick's difficulty performing this task suggests that simply adopting the appearance of the upper classes will not guarantee him a place in their ranks. Rather, he must educate himself—not just about reading or math, but about the social customs of the men he wants to emulate.
As the novel goes on, Dick's attempts at washing up are more successful. Alger writes that before going to Mr. Greyson's church, Dick "dressed himself with scrupulous care" and gave his shoes "a 'shine' so brilliant that it did him great credit in a professional point of view." Although his hands are "not so white as if his business had been of a different character," Dick manages to clean them effectively. Phrases like "scrupulous care" demonstrate Dick's increasing confidence at washing up, and this passage states explicitly that he looks more "professional" as a result. It's notable that Dick shines his own shoes before going to church, imitating the grooming rituals of his wealthier customers. By cleaning himself more effectively, Dick appears more respectable to himself and others.
Still, just as in the first quoted passage, Dick's perennially dirty hands undermine his generally clean appearance. Until he gets a professional job and leaves boot-blacking behind, Dick's efforts at washing up will never be completely successful. That caveat reflects Alger's belief that hygiene is only one aspect of respectability. To truly transform himself, Dick must do much more than become proficient at washing up.
Personal appearances, good and bad, form a motif that recurs throughout Ragged Dick. In general, good characters have pleasant or appealing physical appearances, while the novel's villains look shifty or untrustworthy. This is especially true of Dick, whose natural good looks Alger praises frequently:
Dick was a very good-looking boy, especially now since he kept his face clean. He had a frank, honest expression, which generally won its way to the favor of those with whom he came in contact.
Even before Dick obtains a good suit and learns to keep himself clean, his appearance helps him make wealthy friends, like Frank or Mr. Greyson. The passage above shows that by adopting the hygiene of the upper classes, Dick increases the power of his appearance and therefore his professional opportunities.
Good looks can and do get characters out of trouble. When Dick and Frank are falsely accused of stealing a woman's wallet on the streetcar, Alger says that the other passengers are inclined to believe the boys because "appearances go a great ways, and Frank did not look like a thief." One passenger even says, "They don’t look to me as if they would steal."
Other characters have unpleasant appearances that immediately alert readers to their bad dispositions: Alger introduces Jim Travis, a seedy neighbor in the boardinghouse where Dick and Fosdick live, as a "coarse-looking fellow" who looks like an alcoholic. Eventually attempting to steal Henry's bank savings, Jim's behavior confirms the bad impression his appearance gives.
This straightforward link between personality and looks might be part of Alger's attempt to develop his characters in a manner legible to young readers. However, the motif undercuts Alger's overriding arguments that all Americans have the same opportunities, regardless of socioeconomic status and that success depends on personal choices. Dick certainly works to improve himself, but his remarkably good appearance gives him an advantage over other boot-blacks from the start; and no matter how hard his peers work, they can't replicate his "frank, honest expression." Dick's looks even place him above Fosdick, who is just as smart, thrifty, and committed to self-improvement as he is. To that end, characters like Ida take an interest in Dick because of his appearance while ignoring Fosdick.
Whether or not Alger intended it, the significance accorded to personal appearance in the novel suggests that Dick's success stems at least partly from innate qualities, rather than his conscious choices and efforts at self-improvement. By contradicting some of the novel's broader thematic claims, the motif suggests that Alger's vision of a meritocratic, fundamentally equal America is more notable as a popular myth than a realistic representation of 19th-century life.
