Sister Carrie and Ragged Dick

The objective of this paper is to explore the depth at which the novels Sister Carrie and Ragged Dick support the view of America as a place which offers the possibility of achieving financial prosperity inclusively. The essay will argue that neither text fully validates this but assert that the historical context of each novel cannot be ignored either.   Kirk Curnutt, in an essay published in 2011, coined the phrase ‘national ideology of boundless opportunity’ in reference to The Great Gatsby but this paper takes the position that as Curnutt is offering a 21st century analysis of a 20th century text it is too remote from the 19th century novels in question to be used as a panchronic standard.   This will be done by comparing the representations of gender and ethnicity between Sister Carrie and Ragged Dick and showing how both novels are very much the product of their time.   Secondary material will also be considered, where appropriate.   In challenging the question, the essay will draw on Marxist criticism and provide evidence which questions the idea of boundless opportunity and this will be supported by the work of Slavoj Žižek, through whom, the nature of ideology itself will be explored.   The essay will then conclude with an overview of the main points raised and, by doing this, will be in a position to provide an answer to the question.  
In terms of the contemporary circumstances of America, at the time of Ragged Dick’s publication, it is easy to see how it could be seen as being in a state of flux.   The Civil war itself had the effect of causing social fragmentation and there was a need for stability.   It is unsurprising that a piece of seemly straightforward literature, our case study, which Harlon Dalton characterises as having the simple message of ‘initiative, hard work, persistence and pluck being rewarded with success became enormously popular.   In Dalton’s Book, Racial Healing: Confronting the Fear Between Blacks And Whites,   he argues that this...