Horatio Alger- Extending the Critical Context #9

The Alger myth of rags-to- riches should be “interred” according to Dalton. To support Dalton’s claim and bury the Alger myth, one must present an argument and show evidence that not everyone has an equal chance to succeed, hard work doesn’t guarantee getting ahead, and America is not the land of endless opportunity.

To start with, not everyone has the same chance of success. In today’s society, having a college degree is a huge advantage, if not a requirement, for success. If one does not have the means to go to college one is automatically excluded from many jobs and many of these pay more money. An interesting fact to challenge the Horatio myth would be to investigate what percent of people earning over, say 50,000 dollars a year have college degrees and what percent of the total population this includes. Closely linked to this is the fact that social class does make a difference. If one comes from the middleclass or upper class, one will have more money and contacts to pay for education and to be exposed to job opportunities.

Another point to refute the Alger myth is that working hard does not mean you will get ahead. Take for instance Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed. Through her personal experiences she shows that even by working two jobs and trying her best there is no opportunity to get ahead. Her only hope is to make enough money for food and to pay the bills. She, like Dalton, points out that each person is not judged solely on their own merits. An employee’s manager has great control over a person’s advancement. This manager can be biased. He may hold the employee back because he is afraid the person might take his job, he may be prejudiced against the employee’s race or social background, or he may simply not like him. In short, hard work does not guarantee success.

Lastly, America is not a land of endless opportunity as Alger portrays. The job market is competitive and unemployment is a problem. Jobs and pensions are no longer secure as companies are bought, they go out of business, or they cut costs.

Thus, arguing Dalton’s point shows that a cultural myth can be challenged or revised if evidence or situations change. Today, America is different than during Alger’s time and the American Dream has been robbed of some of its mythical power.