Mark the Match Boy

"Mark the Match Boy" is a quintessential work of Horatio Alger's literary canon that embodies the rags-to-riches narrative central to his oeuvre. Published in 1864, this novella captures the struggles of a young, impoverished boy named Mark, who sells matches on the streets of New York City. Alger's style is marked by a blend of sentimentalism and didacticism, employing accessible prose to depict ...