Helping Himself

Horatio AlgerJan 2016

3.9

Word count: 62K words
Chapters: 41

Summary

Helping Himself belongs to a series of rags-to-riches stories of boys achieving the American dream of wealth through hard work. These are stories in which hard work is rewarded with success. Taken together, the works can also be seen as helpful in understanding the development of American cultural and social ideals; through their emphasis on effort and reward, they trace how such ideals took shape, and they remain a useful guide to the assumptions of the era that produced them.

Editor's review

Helping Himself is one of the more representative volumes in Horatio Alger's rags-to-riches series, and its value goes beyond a simple tale of a boy rising from poverty to comfort. The novel places its protagonist's self-reliance, diligence and resourcefulness within a concrete social setting, so that readers can follow the tension of individual striving while also seeing how nineteenth-century American society imagined "success" and how that imagination was narrated and circulated. As a cultural text, it opens a window onto American ideals of self-help, personal responsibility and upward mobility; as a story, it moves briskly, with clear-cut heroes and villains, and is easy to read. It is best approached within the context of American cultural history or adolescent coming-of-age literature: as an introduction to the sources of "American Dream" narratives, and as material for discussing the social conditions and value assumptions behind inspirational stories. Note that the book's simplified treatment of success bears the clear stamp of its era; readers should examine it critically rather than treat it as a practical guide to life.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in nineteenth-century American culture and "American Dream" narratives
Literature enthusiasts who want to trace the development of inspirational fiction for young readers
Middle and high school students and English learners seeking original or adapted reading material
Readers who enjoy themes of individual striving and briskly paced stories

Not a good fit for

Readers of serious literary fiction who expect complex characterization and ambiguous themes
Readers put off by didacticism and stark good-versus-evil narratives
Readers seeking rigorous social history or historical scholarship

Reading tips

Read through the plot first, then revisit each of the protagonist's key choices and trace the logic of his "self-reliance."
Read with nineteenth-century American society in mind, noting how the story simplifies poverty and success.
Compare it with coming-of-age novels of the same or later periods to see how inspirational narratives differ.
English learners can closely read one chapter and collect common expressions for describing character.

Copyright information
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVIII
CHAPTER XIX
CHAPTER XX
CHAPTER XXI
CHAPTER XXII
CHAPTER XXIII
CHAPTER XXIV
CHAPTER XXV.
CHAPTER XXVI.
CHAPTER XXVII
CHAPTER XXVIII
CHAPTER XXIX
CHAPTER XXX
CHAPTER XXXI
CHAPTER XXXII
CHAPTER XXXIII
CHAPTER XXIV
CHAPTER XXXV
CHAPTER XXXVI
CHAPTER XXXVII
CHAPTER XXXVIII
CHAPTER XXXIX
CHAPTER XL

FAQ

Is this book suitable for children to read on their own?

Generally yes; the plot is clear and the language is not difficult. But the book treats success, poverty and class in a simplistic way, so parents or teachers should offer some guidance, helping children distinguish literary narrative from the complexity of real society and avoid taking individual striving as the sole condition of success.

Can reading this book teach me about American history?

It offers material at the level of intellectual history rather than systematic historical knowledge. Through the story you can see how nineteenth-century American society told the tale of "starting from nothing" and the "American Dream," but specific institutions, economic structures and social conflicts require other sources.

Why is it said to be more than an inspirational story?

Because it also records how a particular era imagined success: diligence, resourcefulness and character are treated as the keys to upward mobility, while social conditions are often played down. Reading the story as a cultural text reveals how values are narrated and disseminated.

Do I need to read the series in order?

No. The characters and plots of the series are largely independent, and reading one volume alone does not hinder understanding. If you want to observe the narrative patterns the author uses repeatedly, read several volumes and compare how the protagonists' circumstances and turning points differ.

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About the author

Horatio Alger Author · American · 1832–1899

Horatio Alger was an American writer, born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 1832 and died in Natick in 1899. One of the most popular authors of the 19th century, he is known for more than a hundred "rags-to-riches" novels, including Ragged Dick, which center on poor boys who rise through diligence and integrity. These works gave rise to the widely recognized figure of the "Alger hero," a term that has entered the American language. His writing focuses on inspirational coming-of-age themes, with an accessible style, brisk plots, and uplifting endings, and it has had a lasting influence on later American popular fiction about individual striving. This library holds two of his works, Helping Himself and Andy Grants Pluck, which illustrate his thematic direction.