A Struggle for a Fortune

“A Struggle for a Fortune” by Harry Castlemon is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story is set in a rural, post-Civil War Missouri and focuses on the lives of the impoverished Keeler family, particularly the troubled dynamic between Jonas Keeler, his wife, and the elderly Mr. Nickerson, who has lived with them under questionable circumstances since the war. The narrative explores themes of greed, family dynamics, and the impact of war on personal fortunes. The opening of the novel introduces us to a grim scene in a small log cabin where the Keeler family is struggling with their finances in the aftermath of the Civil War. Jonas Keeler is frustrated over the rapid depletion of the money given to him by Mr. Nickerson, who, once a wealthy man, is now portrayed as a helpless figure living on the edge of sanity. An exchange between Jonas and his wife reveals their escalating tensions over finances and responsibilities. As Jonas grows increasingly resentful towards Mr. Nickerson, suspicion arises about hidden wealth, suggesting that Mr. Nickerson might still possess money that could change their fortunes. The emotional undercurrent sets the foundation for a complicated exploration of trust and betrayal as the story unfolds. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Charles Austin Fosdick, better known by his nom de plume Harry Castlemon, was a prolific writer of juvenile stories and novels, intended mainly for boys. He was born in Randolph, New York, and received a high school diploma from Central High School in Buffalo, New York. He served in the Union Navy from 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War, acting as the receiver and superintendent of coal for the Mississippi River Squadron. Fosdick had begun to write as a teenager, and drew on his experiences serving in the Navy in such early novels as Frank on a Gunboat (1864) and Frank on the Lower Mississippi (1867). He soon became the most-read author for boys in the post-Civil War era, the golden age of children's literature.