Rags to Riches: Difference between revisions

The classic "Horatio Alger" version of the trope is that the protagonist [[Self -Made Man|lifts himself (or rarely herself) up to economic success]] by a combination of hard work and virtuous behavior. And a walloping dose of [[Luck]], which comes to the protagonist [[Laser -Guided Karma|because of their work and virtue]]. It fell out of favor around the Great Depression and has never quite recovered.

More modern uses of the trope are more cynical, and may feature the character getting their wealth through unethical or illegal means, and [[Was It Really Worth It?|discovering that]] [[Lonely At the Top|wealth doesn't make them happy]], (i.e. ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'') and might include an Anvilicious statement on why sudden wealth leads to corruption. If the plot for a single episode, will usually feature the character [[Acquired Situational Narcissism|becoming haughty and vain]] and [[A Fool and His New Money Are Soon Parted|eventually losing his or her money]] and [[Status Quo Is God|returning to normal]], showing that they never needed money in the first place. The [[Ambition Is Evil|darkest and]] [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|edgiest versions]] of this trope sometimes overlap with [[From Nobody to Nightmare]].

See also [[Prince and Pauper]] and [[Self -Made Man]]. When someone goes all the way from poverty to the throne it is [[Rags to Royalty]]. An [[The Epic|Epic]] [[Warrior Prince]] who, by military conquest, goes from somewhat minor status to ruling an [[The Empire|Empire]] is likely the [[Young Conqueror]]. A less noble example is the [[Nouveau Riche]]. Other variations can probably be thought of. One is for this to be done focusing on a group(say a family, a nation, or a sports team) rather then an individual that does this.

{{examples|Examples:}}

** Also the Netherlands. He's seen as a rather poor and struggling teenaged nation (while his younger sister Belgium is a [[Child Prodigy]] businesswoman), then he's seen under Spain's wing (that he's not too happy about), and later he has become quite the overseas empire... and a stoic, penny-pinching [[Non -Idle Rich]].

* ''[[Ed Wood (Film)|Ed Wood]]'' is a subversion. Ed and crew are in poverty and Ed always expects riches to come out of his movies, but anyone who watched his [[So Bad ItsIt's Good|terrible (albeit amusing) movies]] knows that riches would never come. [[The Pollyanna|That doesn't stop Ed from being perpetually hopeful and upbeat throughout the movie]].

* ''[[Envy (Film)|Envy]]'': Nick Vanderpark (Jack Black) [[Self -Made Man|made himself a wealthy man]] by financing the development of a spray that vaporizes dog poop (hence the name "Vapoorize"). Tim Dingman (Ben Stiller), Nick's friend, best friend and former co-worker also becomes wealthy when Nick offer him partnership in exchange of Tim helping Vapoorize to be marketed in Italy. {{spoiler|It seemed they'd no longer be wealthy when Vapoorize was recalled from the market but then Tim thought about inventing Pocket Flan. How much they made from the idea is never revealed.}}

* ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'': David Xanatos, the [[Trope Namer|namer]] of the [[Xanatos Gambit]], once received an ancient coin from an [[Anonymous Benefactor]] (twenty years later revealed to be a [[Temporal Paradox|future version]] of [[Self -Made Man|Xanatos himself]]), sold the coin and used the money to start his empire, eventually making himself a billionaire. Gargoyles has a [[Stable Time Loop]] so this plan couldn't possibly fail.