Horatio Alger Jr. His writings were characterized by the " rags-to-riches " narrative, which had a formative effect on the United States from through to his death in Alger secured his literary niche in with the publication of his fourth book, Ragged Dick , the story of a poor bootblack 's rise to middle-class respectability.
This novel was a huge success. His many books that followed were essentially variations on Ragged Dick and featured stock characters : the valiant, hardworking, honest youth; the noble mysterious stranger; the snobbish youth; and the evil, greedy squire.
In the s, Alger's fiction was growing stale. His publisher suggested he tour the Western United States for fresh material to incorporate into his fiction. Alger took a trip to California, but the trip had little effect on his writing: he remained mired in the staid theme of "poor boy makes good".
The backdrops of these novels, however, became the Western United States, rather than the urban environments of the Northeastern United States. He had many connections with the New England Puritan aristocracy of the early 19th century. He was also the descendant of Sylvanus Lazell, a Minuteman and brigadier general in the War of , and Edmund Lazell , a member of the Constitutional Convention in Alger's siblings Olive Augusta and James were born in and , respectively.
A disabled sister, Annie, was born in , and a brother, Francis, in To that end, Alger's father tutored him in classical studies and allowed him to observe the responsibilities of ministering to parishioners. Alger began attending Chelsea Grammar School in , [ 8 ] but by December his father's financial troubles had worsened considerably. In search of a better salary, he moved the family to Marlborough, Massachusetts , an agricultural town 25 miles west of Boston , where he was installed as pastor of the Second Congregational Society in January with a salary sufficient to meet his needs.
