Rich Dad Poor Dad Literary Elements

Self-help

Hawaii, 1950's

Robert Kiyosaki narrates parts of his early life story using the first-person singular perspective.

The tone and mood of the book is light-hearted and playful when recounting the stories from Robert's past, but it takes on a more serious and earnest tone when the author speaks about the importance of financial literacy.

Robert Kiyosaki is the protagonist. There is no human antagonist since the author's biggest struggle is with his own fear and ignorance.

The overarching conflict in the book is the young Robert's struggle to develop financial literacy and to learn how to make good decisions about money. Most of these lessons come from the school of hard knocks, and from Robert's "Rich Dad", who deliberately creates frustrating situations to help inspire Robert to develop financial literacy, common sense, and the ability to think like an entrepreneur. Not all of Robert's business ventures are successful.

This book does not have a single climax the way the novel does: instead, in the Bildungsroman tradition, it depicts the smaller conflicts and obstacles Robert must overcome. These include his lack of pay at his first job, the decline and collapse of his surf wallet business, and the failure of his comic book library.

In the second chapter of the book, Robert and his friend Mike form a partnership. This foreshadows the long mentorship relationship Robert develops with Mike's father. Another example of foreshadowing is the way Robert describes his two father figures early in the book as foils for one another.

Robert understates his early desire for money. It is a thirst that goes far beyond the usual adolescent wish for extra cash.

The Robin Hood story, which Robert and his "Rich Dad" discuss, is an English folk tale about a medieval outlaw who purportedly lived in the forest and made a living for himself and his fellow poor people by robbing wealthy, corrupt passers-by.

Throughout the novel, Kiyosaki uses fancy cars, or driving expensive vehicles, as an expression of something wealthy people can or should do. He associates consumption with wealth, but never suggests that people spend money they don't have. In fact, he insists on paying for his own luxuries not with income earned by employment but with passive income produced by investments.

Robert wants to start a business so that he can make money, because he has none. In fact, his employer isn't paying him. But all the businesses around him appear to require some kind of start-up capital, which he does not have. It takes money to start a business-- or so it appears to him at first.

As Robert grows into adulthood, so does his level of financial sophistication.

Rich Dad is used as a representative of the investor class in general: he owns businesses and profits from them.

Robin Hood, to Rich Dad, personifies a group of people that do not make good financial decisions themselves, but that wish to exploit or take resources from people who make good financial decisions.