The Horatio Alger myth

The Horatio Alger myth

The Horatio Alger myth describes the “rags to riches” narrative, where hard work and perseverance will ultimately yield positive results. The stories of the characters depicted in the two movies, Chicago and 42nd Street, are different in relation to this myth, and also in relation to the opportunities afforded by the big city. In Chicago, Velma and Roxie chase their American dream using evil ways, which involve being dishonest, manipulative and stabbing each other in the back, in order to climb to the top, ahead of others. On the other hand, the story of Peggy Sawyer in Chicago is in line with this myth as we see Peggy working hard and has to persevere the hardships and challenges that she meets along the way. In order to get the opportunities presented by the big city, she has to work hard. However, in Chicago, these opportunities are attained by bringing others down.

Chicago does not offer ideological strategies of utopianism, escapism, wish-fulfillment, and community since violence is a major theme, and therefore, the movie deviates far from offering a sense of escapism. The main characters of the movie are in conflict with each other, and each one wishes to destroy the other so as to become the center of attention and achieve success. There is, therefore, no sense of community. The film’s construction of “unpleasure” is how the film creates uncertainty by making the audience wonder about the true character of the film’s characters. The film revolves around celebrity life. The audience guesses the true personality of Roxie, who is seen as beautiful in her shinny costume on stage but has bad intentions in order to become famous. This uncertainty makes the audience anxious and unsure of the true personality of the character, and as a result, constructs “unpleasure.”