Question

Hawthorne uses anecdotes in his Biography of Benjamin Franklin to amuse his readers and reveal the character of Ben Franklin. How does the anecdote in Sec. 59 reveal Franklin's character? A. It tells us that Franklin was a religious man and what religion he belonged to. B. It shows Franklin's humble beginnings and sets up a contrast with his later success and fame. C. It shows that Franklin as young man was a wanderer with no purpose or ambition in life.​

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. It shows that Franklin, as a young man, was a wanderer with no purpose or ambition in life.

Explanation

Section 59 of the Biography of Benjamin Franklin of Hawthorne talks about Franklin's youth, highlighting that he had no ambition for life by saying that "he has not told us whether his slumbers were visited by any dreams". In addition, he emphasizes that he had no expectations about his future, so it was unimaginable for him that he would become the important person that he was by saying that "But it would have been a strange dream, indeed, and an incredible one, that should have foretold how great a man he was destined to become, and how much he would be honored in that very city where he was not friendless and unknown". From the above, the correct answer is C. It shows that Franklin as a young man was a vagabond with no purpose or ambition in life.