Ragged Dick

The different roles of boys and girls in the 19th century are obviously more than apparent…I think the primary difference of boys and girls in this time period revolve around the expectations and standards that society holds to them. In the story of Ragged Dick, Dick was a dirty little dude with a foul mouth, but somehow was praised as the hero in the story. These are qualities you absolutely would not have seen describing a girl raised to standard during the same time period. The expectation of society in regards to how a boy should be brought up is pretty simple; a boy should have a solid moral compass, a strong work ethic, and live an honest life. We can see in the story Ragged Dick when Mr. Whitney in deciding whether or not to employ Dick to give Frank a tour says “It is rather a novel proposal. He isn’t exactly the sort of guide I would have picked for you. Still he looks honest. He has an open face, and I think can be depended upon.” (37) This is a good example of how looking honest and seeming dependable opened doors for even a filthy little fella who normally would have been overlooked. I think it’s safe to say that had he been equally as dirty and looked less honest, but more shifty or sketchy than more than likely Mr. Whitney wouldn’t have hired him at all. In the story of the hidden hand, Capitola was also an honest person with a huge desire and need to work, but because she was a girl the opportunity wasn’t available; even with the same characteristics as Dick, the end result wasn’t the same because a girl doing the job of a boy wasn’t an expectation or desire of society at the time.