Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography: The Erratum of Our Ways

Benjamin Franklin, when writing his Autobiography, frequently reminds the reader of his flaws and mistakes, which he calls erratum. His purpose for doing so, he claims, is so that the reader may accept him as a more reliable narrator. Through various methods of presentation, Franklin convinces the reader not only that he is completely honest, but that he is the model of what every good American should strive to become. Whether or not this is true is up to the careful reader to decide.

The positive assessment of Franklin remains in place despite the reader's knowledge that he ran out on his apprenticeship, made serious business mistakes, strove to put others out of business, and was quite promiscuous. If a modern businessman were to comment that he had worked hard to destroy others so that he could be successful, and that while doing so, he had been with his share of women, the common American would be appalled. While tale is quite similar to the one that Ben Franklin presents the careful reader, Franklin is essentially an American hero.

Franklin's heroics are in some ways upheld by the facts. Franklin was a successful businessman, was a good printer and writer, and did much to help the American colonies free themselves of Mother England. All of these things can be found in official records or history books. Though they are somewhat glorified in the Autobiography, they actually happened. The fact that these things are presented as being true, and that there is historical evidence that they are, lends great weight to the work.

Other bits of information that point toward Franklin being a hero are expounded upon at great length in this work. Franklin discusses the Junto which he formed and participated in, his rigid daily schedule, (designed to make him a better man), and his teaching of others to help them move forward in the printing trade. Franklin says, referring to his Daily Plan, that "it was the more remarkable, as being form'd when I was so young." (AL, p570) Although the Plan and other things are in fact great accomplishments, their greatness is far out of proportion.

Franklin also discusses those who have done him wrong. In most cases, Franklin does not say that he was wrong to trust a person, or to enter into a business deal with that person. Instead, Franklin goes into great detail about how he was mistreated and mislead by said person, until the reader feels a great amount of sympathy for Franklin, and dislike for the aforementioned business partner or friend. This dislike becomes vital when Franklin later discusses with great pleasure the downfall of those who have wronged him.

In a stark contrast to the passages which discuss the great triumphs of Franklin's life, the passages in which he discusses his erratum are brief, unemotional, and presented merely as things that happened, not even particularly to him. An average sample reads "My printing this pamphlet was another Erratum," (AL, p565) and that is all that is said on the matter. Franklin, while admitting his erratum in an attempt to make his story more realistic and believable, distances himself from those erratum so that the reader will focus more heavily on his accomplishments.

Ben Franklin's Autobiography is not an utter falsehood. It describes the life of a man, from the viewpoint of that same man. Franklin does not make up events and personages to make himself look better. He merely makes a great point of displaying his accomplishments and successes, while attempting to mask the erratum that existed along the way. The literary figure of "Ben Franklin" is perhaps not so much either a realistic character or a complete fabrication as it is a model of what the author Ben Franklin wished he could have been.