mddm 27: Franklin

[Bandwraith at aol.com]

 From: jbor at bigpond.com>

> Rereading Pynchon's Franklin's words in the novel again I get rather a
> different impression. After we overhear his opening rant, which is quite
> petulant, he then suddenly turns into little more than a dope dealer's
> crony, figuring Jere for a patsy, in the apothecary shop. Then, in the
> coffee-house, he's insufferably smug and patronising about Miss Davies, the
> "Mozart child" and Mesmer. He seems to be connected, in some type of sting,
> with the petty thief, Lewis, who lurks out by the dung-heap. 

Such an impression would not jibe at all with what is known about
the historical Franklin, which is not to say that your interpretation
of Pynchon's (or the Rev's) portrayal is not valid. I think mine
is more interesting, however, and serves to include more degrees 
of freedom for the narrative. Contrary to your "little more than a
dope dealer's crony," figuring Jere for a patsy," "insufferably
smug and patronizing," connected...with a petty thief," which all 
seem rather biased to me. 

 >After he
 >unsuccessfully tries to bribe Mason to spy on Dixon, and is even more
 >quickly aced by Dixon's deliberate show of false credulity, he then
 >retaliates by dredging up the Royal Society debacle over the letter. 

Franklin lets Mason know about Le Maire, something which Dixon
has deliberately withheld. He then brings up the letter and 
provides valuable insight about something "...they will go back
to again and again, unable to release..." [45.7]

In fact, this scene in the chemist's shoppe is more than just a 
reprise of the uneasy partnership forged by our two heroes 
below the decks of the Seahorse and later in the authoring of
their courageous letter to the R.S, but it does serve to provide 
them with another opportunity to stand for one another, and once 
again, "In the crucial moments, neither Mason or  Dixon had 
fail'd the other." [43.9]

I think it significant that both Dixon and Mason piss
during this scene- a form of release.

>While
 >pretending to emphasise his "innocence" and sympathy, what he is really
 >doing is gloating about his own welcome and eminence at the R.S. in contrast
 >to Mason's and Dixon's virtual nonetity there. The image I get - "naked
 >narrow'd eyes" nodding "encouragingly", "twirling his ... curls", and his
 >"courtly way" - is that he is what might be called a right piece of work.

His description, on the contrary, allows Mason and Dixon another
perspective to compare with Maskelyne's, and reaffirm their belief
in their own "rightness," something which they have felt tentative
and uncertain about since they received the R.S. response to their
letter. That Franklin leaves the two feeling as if they can handle
themselves in America, even when up against the likes of the famous
Dr. Franklin- makes Pynchon's Franklin characteristically self-
effacing.

Franklin's comment regarding the inevitability of fighting "them" 
is also characteristic of the man.