Sarcasm

I would like to draw attention to how much sarcasm is in this novel. Dick is always making some crack or sarcastic remark. If young Ellen Montgomery had done this it would have been seen as rude and inappropriate, but when Dick does it, its funny. In this time period there were many things that it was okay for men to do that it was definitely not ok for the females to do. Especially not ladies.

When I picture Dick in my mind I see the Huck Finn that Disney portrays in their movie. He's cunning, he's smart, and he is just flat out funny. I have always found sarcasm quite amusing. Obviously Horatio Alger does as well. My favorite scene is when Dick runs into Johnny after getting his new attire.

"'Where'd you get all them clothes?' asked Johnny. 'Have you been stealin'?'

'Say that again, and I'll like you. No, I've lent my clothes to a young feller as was goin' to a party, and didn't have non fit to wear, and so I put on my second-beset for a change.'"

I found this so amusing. Perhaps author's wrote about girls to teach, and boys to entertain. It was okay for men to dork around and be funny. It was offensive when women did such things. We are drawn to the characters that break the rules and live life on the edge, however, this is not how people want their sons and daughters to grow up. Another reason why I strongly feel that the boy was more for entertainment than for teaching purposes like in domestic fiction.