Moral Standards of the Eighteenth Century
...ranklin also has no problem facing the facts of what he has done. He never views himself as a bad person or one who regrets what he has done with a woman. It is almost as if he thinks he can use a woman for sex and not feel ashamed for what he has done. Eliza, on the other hand, feels like a “reproach and disgrace to [her] friends” for sleeping around and getting pregnant. Women in general constantly have to deal with the shame if they sleep around with a man, but no matter what a man does with a woman, he is not labeled a ‘slut’ like a woman would be. This is still a double standard of a person’s sexuality even today. Although there are now laws that give men and women equal rights, men can usually get away with more their everyday life when it comes to their sexuality. Both stories provide an example for the independence that one might have from their home life as well as an escape from their personal problems. Eliza Wharton was a young, adventurous woman who ended up married to an elderly preacher. After her husband dies, she explains that it is a “pleasure” to be on her own once again. Although he was a “faithful friend” to her, she didn’t truly love him. She is then given the opportunity to go out and explore new things and see what it’s truly like to be able to actually marry the man that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, rather than her husband and lover being chosen for her by her family and friends. Even in today’s society, it is wise for a woman to choose carefully the one that they would like to spend the rest of their life with rather than marrying the first man that comes along that they fall in love with. Franklin also takes the chance of moving to Philadelphia to start a new business career for himself. He is able to escape the troubles with his brother and the consequences associated with living at home under parental supervision. People have to go out and explore the world for themselves to know what is right for them, and someone else cannot do it for them. Franklin never would’ve gotten anywhere in life being an apprentice for his brother his whole life. A person’s drive has to be the motivation to succeed, and if there is not a drive in somebody, one could not get the maximum satisfaction out of their accomplishments. Hard work and dedication are the factors of a successful achievement. As shown in the comparison between Franklin and Wharton, it seems as though men are typically given more independence than women. Women are usually expected to take care of the household and children while men are away providing support for the family. In times like the Eighteenth Century, women couldn’t own property or have the right to vote, which was usually a privilege given to middle or upper class white men. In Eliza Wharton’s case, she did not even have the option of choosing who she was to be married to for the rest of her life. This usually makes society as a whole believe that men are the gender that is mostly in charge of families, although this view of men and women’s roles in family and business are ever changing as time goes by. Women now can voice their opinions in many public ways, such as in politics and business. Benjamin Franklin goes through the course of his life for the most part single. Although he found a woman that he thought he would eventually marry, his life was mostly centered around his career. Even his love for a woman was not strong enough to keep him from his job or from advancing in his career. Although in today’s society it is common for a woman to be a stay at home mom while t...