Comparing Franklin's Early Resistance to Authority and Wharton's Attitude Toward Authority

Both Benjamin Franklin and Edith Wharton are notable figures in American history, known for their contributions to literature, politics, and society. Despite their different eras and professions, both individuals held significant views on authority. However, their approaches to resisting or dealing with authority were shaped by their unique upbringings, personal philosophies, and the historical contexts in which they lived.

1. Early Life and Resistance to Authority: Franklin’s Independent Spirit

Benjamin Franklin:

  • Early Resistance to Authority: Franklin’s early life in Boston was marked by a rebellion against traditional authority. Raised in a strict Puritan household, his father, a candlemaker, expected him to follow a conventional path. Franklin’s education was initially limited due to the financial constraints of his family, which spurred him to become a self-taught intellectual.

  • Independence: Franklin’s resistance to authority began at an early age when he challenged the expected norms of society. He left Boston for Philadelphia at the age of 17, seeking to carve out his own path. During this time, he also adopted a critical view of traditional structures and established institutions, such as the church and state. Instead of following conventional expectations for his future, Franklin sought personal independence through self-education, curiosity, and the pursuit of knowledge.

  • Thinking for Himself: Franklin’s formation of a pragmatic, independent mindset can be seen in his later endeavors in politics, business, and science. His belief in rationality, personal liberty, and public service led him to oppose authoritarian rule, both in the form of the British monarchy and certain societal structures. His early rebellious spirit manifested in his satirical writings, which critiqued the authoritarian figures of his time.

Contrast: Franklin’s early resistance was grounded in his belief in reason, practicality, and self-reliance. He believed that individuals should think for themselves and act based on logic and personal conscience, making him a critic of oppressive authority and hierarchical structures.

2. Wharton’s Attitude Toward Authority: A More Complex Relationship

Edith Wharton:

  • Attitude Toward Authority: Wharton, born into a privileged New York family, was raised within the aristocratic elite of Gilded Age America. As a writer, Wharton was deeply influenced by the social codes and cultural expectations that surrounded her. While Franklin rebelled against authority, Wharton’s relationship with authority was more nuanced—one shaped by her status and social class.

  • Conformity to Class Expectations: Wharton, unlike Franklin, did not outright resist authority. Instead, she was shaped by the authority of high society and often critiqued its excesses and hypocrisies in her works, particularly in novels like The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth. Her protagonists, such as Newland Archer and Lily Bart, are often caught in the tension between individual desire and the rigid social expectations imposed by their class. Wharton’s critique of authority was more about the limitations of societal norms, especially those related to class structure and marriage.

  • Complex Relationship with Authority: While Wharton’s writing critiques societal norms, it also reveals her own internal conflict with authority. She was often seen as a participant in the elite society that she critiqued. Her criticism of authority did not stem from a desire for rebellion or personal freedom in the way Franklin’s did. Instead, Wharton’s resistance to authority was more about the consequences of rigid societal roles and the emotional suffering they caused her characters, who were often unable to reconcile their personal desires with the pressures of aristocratic expectations.

Contrast: While Franklin viewed authority as something to be questioned and resisted, Wharton approached authority as something that could be critiqued from within. She was less concerned with rebelling against authority and more focused on exploring how societal structures affected the individual's emotional and social life.

3. Philosophical Foundations and Views on Individual Freedom

Benjamin Franklin:

  • Franklin’s philosophy was grounded in the belief in self-reliance and the importance of personal freedom. He championed the idea of independent thought, which extended to his views on government. Franklin was a vocal proponent of democratic ideals and the right of individuals to govern themselves through reason and virtue. He believed that people should be free to make rational decisions for themselves, free from the constraints of tyranny or oppressive institutions.

  • His commitment to reason and self-improvement was embodied in his 13 virtues, which reflected his belief in individual responsibility. Franklin’s opposition to authority was grounded in his belief that personal liberty and freedom of thought were central to human happiness.

Edith Wharton:

  • Wharton’s philosophy was shaped by her experiences within the elite class and her understanding of social order. While she often critiqued the rigid authority structures of her society, particularly in her novels, she did not advocate for a radical overthrow of authority. Instead, her works explore the psychological and social effects of the constraints imposed by authority and the class system. Wharton seemed to suggest that while authority might be oppressive, the true struggle lies in individuals' emotional lives, which are shaped by the social norms and expectations of their time.

  • Wharton also explored the tension between individual desires and societal expectations—particularly in the contexts of love, marriage, and social status. Unlike Franklin, who promoted the individual’s pursuit of personal freedom, Wharton’s critique of authority was more concerned with emotional restraint and the internal conflict between personal aspirations and social conformity.

Comparison:

  • Franklin was more focused on external resistance to authority and the rights of the individual, whereas Wharton focused on the internal struggles that individuals face when confronted with societal expectations and the pressures of class authority. Franklin’s individualism led him to challenge authority head-on, while Wharton’s individualism involved questioning authority through the lens of psychological and emotional consequences within the confines of social norms.

4. Social Context and Historical Impact

Benjamin Franklin:

  • Franklin was deeply involved in the political and social changes of his time. As one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, he played a crucial role in challenging monarchical rule and advocating for democratic governance. His early resistance to authority was part of a broader revolutionary spirit that sought to dismantle the British colonial system and establish a government based on the will of the people. Franklin's philosophy of self-reliance and democratic ideals contributed to the shaping of the American revolutionary identity.

Edith Wharton:

  • Wharton, writing in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, was more concerned with the social hierarchy and moral constraints of her time. While she critiqued the authority figures of high society, her works reflect a more subtle form of resistance. Wharton’s critiques often involve the emotional repression and social stratification that her characters endure within the rigid confines of the upper class. Though her works offered a critique of societal norms, Wharton did not directly challenge political authority in the same revolutionary way that Franklin did.

Comparison:

  • Franklin was actively engaged in the political and societal transformation of his time, directly challenging authoritarian rule, while Wharton focused on the emotional and psychological effects of social hierarchy and authority within the aristocracy. Franklin’s contributions helped shape American democracy, while Wharton’s work illuminated the constraints of social authority on the individual within the confines of privileged society.

Conclusion

Benjamin Franklin and Edith Wharton both demonstrated a strong individualistic spirit, but their responses to authority were shaped by different historical contexts and personal experiences. Franklin’s early resistance to authority was based on his belief in reason, self-reliance, and the freedom of the individual to shape their own destiny, particularly in the political context of the American Revolution. Wharton, while critical of the authority of social norms and the class system, focused more on the internal emotional struggles of individuals constrained by societal expectations, particularly in the aristocratic class. Franklin’s challenge to external authority was revolutionary, while Wharton’s critique was psychological and rooted in the emotional costs of conforming to social conventions. Both, however, shared a deep interest in the tension between personal freedom and societal control, albeit from vastly different perspectives