Literary Criticism Review

I very much enjoyed the way the author showed that the Autobiography is the first great book in American literature and still remains quite possibly the single most important today. I enjoyed this because the author was sure to point out that the reason for this book being such an influential one was not because it had lots of fancy words and phrases and it was not because it was structurally sound and wonderful. No, the reason that this book is so important to us even today is because of the idea that it conveyed to all who read it; the story itself was the very embodiment of the American Dream (Lemay).
The American Dream has always been portrayed as a "rags to riches" sort of fairytale, as it was referenced in the criticism. However, I appreciated the author's point that the story was not only the embodiment of the American Dream because Franklin began his life a poor boy and ascended to riches and comfort. No, while that was an important piece of what the American Dream is all about, the most important parts were not about the money. As the author states in the criticism, it is about the rise from impotence to importance, and it was also about the rise from dependence to independence (Lemay).
The author proves this point by citing from the original work the following quote, "Having emerg'd from the Poverty and Obscurity in which I was born and bred, to a State of Affluence and some Degree of Reputation in the World …" which is basically explaining how Franklin rose from being nothing into being one of the most powerful and influential men involved in founding our country (Lemay).
Another of the most important aspects of the Autobiography which was brought up by the author of the criticism was the way that the story showed that individuals truly can make a huge impact on the world. The American Dream provides a way for every type of talent and motivation in existence to thrive in some way. The American Dream is an outlet promising that no matter who you are or where you come from you will always be able to find a way to use what you have and make it (Lemay).
It was interesting to see the author's comments on how Benjamin Franklin believed that every action that a person does has an outcome that can change the course of history. Although it was not really mentioned in the criticism, this idea goes along with the Rationalistic idea that there is an all-powerful God who brought us into existence and gave us the tools which would make us capable of survival, but after that God simply left us to use our own devices to make of life what we will. Franklin is showing that he believes that every one of his actions was necessary as a means to an end of what he would one day become (Lemay).
Overall I found the criticism very insightful and it really got me thinking about how much Franklin's autobiography meant to the people of the time and how it effects us even now.

Selected Bibliography

Lemay, J.A. Leo. "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." In The 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=1&iPin=BLTTAD005&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 13, 2010).