Clothing as motif
At several points throughout the story, Richard receives a new set of clothing that heralds his introduction into, and acceptance by, a higher class of society. First he is given a set of clothes by Frank's uncle prior to taking Frank on a tour of the city. During the tour, Dick notices that he is treated differently as a result of the way he is dressed. This provides him the ambition to work harder, save money, and learn habits that will allow him a higher standard of living.
Although many of the clerks whose shoes Dick shines earn less than he does, Dick notices that they have more respect from everybody and that they also have access to opportunities for advancement that are not available to a lowly bootblack.
At the end of the story, after saving a wealthy man's son, Dick is given a new set of clothing that is the finest he has ever owned. This is shortly followed by an offer of employment that would provide Dick with more than enough money to get by.
Handwriting as symbol of class
As part of the employment interview process, Henry Fosdick and Richard Hunter are asked to write out their names. One of the reasons Henry gets the job in the hat store is because he has nice handwriting, which the shopkeeper interprets as evidence of belonging to a class of people that provide reliable employees. Dick, at the start of the novel, is barely able to sign his own name. But as a result of having been tutored by Henry for a couple of years, by the end of the book he is able to sign his name in a very legible, professional hand. In this way, he proves to his employer that he does indeed have the skills and potential to be worth an offer of employment.
Bootblacking kit as symbol of hard work
By the last part of the novel, Dick is earning almost twice as much money shining shoes than his friend Henry earns in his job as a shop boy. His industry is what allows him to save the money that allows him to help out a fellow bootblack and his family. At the end of the novel, he passes on his bootblacking customers to people he knows, but he does not give away his kit or materials, since he wants the reminder of his origins.
Allegory of salvation by works
The novel, while decidedly secular in its tone and making only occasional references to church activity, can nonetheless be read as a Christian salvation allegory. By displaying a strong work ethic, a willingness to delay gratification, and a sincere and consistent desire to make sacrifices in order to help others, the hero is blessed with not just one but several lucky breaks that enable him to get his heart's desire.
The notion of "salvation by works", common to some Christian theologians and no doubt familiar to Alger (a former pastor) was the idea that people could earn an increased probability of divine salvation by performing good deeds for others, and that such activity was a necessary prerequisite of being accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven.
