In fiction, the Rags to Riches tale is one of the core basic plots of storytelling. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice are all some of the most popular examples of the archetype.
In the real world: rags to riches stories are common. Successful entrepreneurs who went from relative poverty or a challenging situation, to financial or personal success: Sir Richard Branson (Virgin), Sir Philip Green (Arcadia) and Mike Ashley (Sports Direct).
So, what is a ‘Rags to Riches’ story? This is where the modest and moral, yet downtrodden character achieves a great deal in the face of advertisty when their latent talents are finally displayed to the world at large.
In the real world this applies to anyone with a skill, ability or material which is not yet reaching its potential, due to a set of circumstances, sometimes beyond their control.
For businesses offering a produce or service, they often tend to play the role of the “Fairy Godmother”, giving the hero enough of a push to get to the right place and at the right time.
Some real world examples of businesses that offer such a service are construction companies Newcastle J3 Building Solutions who offer residential and commercial building services to assist you with your building project from conception to completion. On the digital side, web design north east provider Sleeky Web Design & Print who design fantastic websites for their clients, letting them tell their own story on the internet with a bespoke website.
In researching this article, I read the great book, ‘The Seven Basic Plot Types’ by Christopher Booker. A great read for anybody looking to learn more about the construction of fiction behind the veil.
