Horatio Alger wrote, "A manly spirit is better than the gifts of fortune, and early trial and struggle tend to strengthen and invigorate the character." Our hero in this story, John Oakley, embodies this message. John is a resolute and strong-willed boy of fifteen when his father died of a sudden stroke. When he learns that he has been completely disinherited in favor of his stepmother, who intends to establish her own son as the favorite, he needs every last bit of his resolution to overcome the obstacles in his path. Luck and Pluck is one of Horatio Alger’s classic tales, with a strong message of determination, honesty, and self-reliance.