The American Dream in Accordance with Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is a well known historical figure. He was a diplomat, scientist, and writer. He is very famous for his lightning rod, but he is also famous for his literary works. Benjamin Franklin wrote many things, including newspapers, journals, almanacs, and even his own autobiography. J. A. Leo Lemay discusses The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin in his literary criticism, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and the American Dream. In this he discusses the main topics and themes throughout Benjamin Franklin's novel.

The thing that I found interesting is how Lemay connected "the American Dream" to Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. He said there was one main theme throughout the work that was consistent with the American dream at the time of Franklin and now. That is the idea of going from "rags to riches," "dependence to independence" (Lemay). "This aspect of the American Dream motif gives the book much of its allegorical meaning and its archetypal power" (Lemay). Lemay's criticism is in agreement with a general overview of the book. Since it was written during the Rationalism Period and during the Enlightenment, it has views regarding those two things. Benjamin Franklin tells of how his experience and knowledge kept him going rather than God. He viewed God as more of a teacher and creator rather than an interactive being in people's lives. Science became more popular because of the longing of facts, proof, and knowledge. These themes are seen throughout the work and are tied into the American Dream. For example, J. A. Leo Lemay says, "A more fundamental reason for the book's power and popularity lies in the archetypal appeal of the individual's rise from helplessness to power, from dependence to independence. In that normal development that every human being experiences from nebulousness to identity, from infancy to maturity, we all recapitulate the experience of the American Dream."

Also, Lemay digs deeper into Benjamin Franklin's work, not just discussing that it is a very popular novel, but also why it is so famous. He talks of the complexity in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. Franklin includes anecdotes and simple advice, along with his own life, and also a sense of the American Dream. "Franklin deliberately creates a certain kind of fictive world, embodies that world in some unforgettable scenes, creates and sustains one character who is among the most memorable in American literature, and writes vivid truths that strike us with a shock of recognition. For these, among other reasons, I believe that the Autobiography is a major literary achievement, more complex, and in many ways, more artful, than a beautifully constructed novel like The Rise of Silas Lapham, which, of course, is much indebted to Franklin's Autobiography" (Lemay).

I agree with Lemay's view of Franklin's work in the complexity of the autobiography. His view is interesting how it goes much deeper into the work, rather than just looking at the story of Franklin's life. He connects the outlook of the Enlightenment and Rationalism Period into Franklin's views and a basic concept of the American Dream.

Lemay, J.A. Leo. "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." InThe Renaissance Man in the Eighteenth Century. Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, 1978. Quoted as "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BLTTAD005&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 13, 2010).