Opportunity and Horatio Alger: Mark Mason's Triumph

Horatio Alger created youthful heroes whose persistence and pluck triumphed over enormous odds, often having to educate themselves by a flickering candle and late at night. Readers could identify with the challenges of self-education in a society where only a few had advantages. Mark Mason is one of the most appealing of the Alger success stories, a classic of Americana.