Franklin (Symbol)
Franklin himself is a symbol of the young, smart, and scrappy nation resisting arbitrary authority and becoming worthy of encomium and emulation. He is a symbol of the self-made man, the pilgrim on the road to progress.
The China Bowl (Symbol)
The china bowl that Deborah Read-Franklin buys for her husband is the first object of luxury the family possesses. It symbolizes Franklin's upward mobility, the movement to the upper middle class and public prominence.
Arguing and Conversation (Motif)
Threaded throughout the text are multiple examples of Franklin talking about how to converse, argue, and listen to other people. He loves the Socratic method and learning ways to dispute. He explains how over time he learns the best way to talk to people in order to procure good results and maintain amiability, and contrasts his methods with those of people like Governor Denny.
Vernon's money (Symbol)
Vernon's money, tasked to Franklin to hold but then unwisely lent out, is symbolic of something far greater than a useful indiscretion: it is the ur-errata, the event that looms large as a reminder that Franklin is fallible and must work to control his tendency toward impulsiveness and dissolute behavior. It haunts him for many years.
Lamps (Symbol)
Franklin's plan to perfect the city lamps of Philadelphia is not only a literal lightening of the city but also part of his plan to bring light of all sorts to the denizens–to open their minds, to perfect their personalities, and to provoke them to civic responsibility.
