Myths Never Hurt Anyone

All myths have origins in what someone once deemed as the truth. They are usually dubbed myths after many years of either cultural change or intellectual change. Horatio Alger's tale of Ragged Dick was very popular during its time and many people accepted his step by step method to success through hard work. However, most people today would agree success is not as easy to obtain as Alger describes. In fact, some describe Ragged Dick as socially destructive. Harlon Dalton, as an example, argues that Alger's tale is actually destructive to American culture. Dalton asserts that the 'myth' ignores race and thereby makes assumptions that are not true in today's society where minorities do not have the same opportunities as the majority. Unfortunately, Dalton is ignoring the underlying 'moral' of Ragged Dick and is simply attacking what makes the story a myth. Ragged Dick is indeed a myth, but its message to the reader is one of the fruits that result from hard, honest work.

Dalton's main...