So he could not afford the theatre" (Alger 131). Ragged Dick is so determined to become rich that he saves money that he would normally have spent on the theater (or other forms of entertainment) and better meals. He works hard and trustfully as a shoe shiner. Dick ultimately succeeds in becoming a successful and admired young boy and he does so because of his determination. Eric Liu is not as determined to maintain his Chineseness and this is the reason that today, he is still much more Americanized in his ways. Up until he was nineteen or so Liu took Chinese classes in college, but he said, "then I graduated, and I haven't studied Chinese since" (Liu 19). I think Ragged Dick would have been determined enough to maintain his Chineseness if he was in Eric Liu's place. I also think that it is a possibility that Dick wanted to be prosperous more than Liu wanted the Chinese culture as a part of his life. .
Neither Ragged Dick nor Eric Liu received much guidance through each of their accounts. Eric Liu's father did not make enough effort to keep the presence of the Chinese culture in his son's life so Eric had few other ways to recollect the culture. "It was my father's possession of English that had made possible my forfeiture of Chinese" (Liu 21). Eric states that his father was so fluent in the English language and had adapted to the culture so much that he was unable to absorb enough Chineseness, but instead more American traits from him. Ragged Dick was also limited to guidance and opportunity. Living on the streets of New York in "a wooden box half full of straw" with little money, a dirty appearance, and no parents certainly would limit a boy to reach any higher standards, even though he eventually did (Alger 11).
Ragged Dick wanted to fit in with the average people of America and not be looked down upon any longer. Dick usually didn't care what people thought about the way he looked or acted.