The following quote was produced by a first year student in college (university) in America in the 1980s. The student had never read any books by the famous author Horatio Alger, but had heard of the message/s that his stories, essentially Ragged Dick, stood for.
"A young child dreams of being rich and of some day being a famous business tycoon. He goes to school and studies hard. The hard work pays off by his receiving many scholarships for his higher education. After graduation he receives numerous job offers from very prestigious firms from all over the world. He starts at the bottom of the business ladder and works his way up to be a top executive."
The message from Alger that hard work eventually pays off and earns oneself a better living is infamous.It has become something of an American myth. From the beginning America has been known as the 'land of dreams', where anything (if not most things) as possible in regards to financial and business success.
In reality America is a vast and varied land. However unlike the numerous stories that has been told about the USA, America is not a country in which luck comes in abundance and to everyone. many people that have travelled to the country in search of the 'American Dream" have not found it. The part of Alger's message in which you essentially get what you work for is, on the other hand, is quite historically accurate. Nonetheless, this is so for most people in whichever country they end up in, thus dimming the exceptionally bright light that seems to have been focussed on the United States.
In spite of this America continues to be an internationally recognised pinnacle of aspiration. It is such stories as Ragged Dick that have have successfully contributed to upholding the concept of the infamous 'American Dream'.
Source: http://faculty.atu.edu/cbrucker/Alger.html
