One of the greatest classic novels in American history, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby lends itself to being an indispensable literary work that reinforces and challenges the fundamental values ​​and ideals that Benjamin Franklin expresses in his Autobiography. In the passage provided, young Franklin arrives in Philadelphia in hopes of becoming a new self-made man and begins his journey with little money and few resources, just like Gatsby. After arriving by boat, he tries to pay the people on the boat for his trip, but his payment is initially refused because he rowed the boat to get to Philadelphia. Franklin insists that they take his payment and says, "A man is sometimes more generous when he has but a little money than when he has much, perhaps from fear of being thought to have little." Eager to make a good first impression on the people of Philadelphia, Franklin attempts to demonstrate that he possesses considerable wealth that is able to pay for his own travel even if it is not required. Entering the city, he is hungry and asks a boy where the nearest bakery is. Franklin enters the bakery asking for a biscuit then finds out they are not made in Philadelphia so he asks for a threepenny loaf. Once again, he does not receive a threepenny loaf of bread but is instead given “three large puffy rolls.” Surprised by the amount of bread he gets for a few cents, Franklin eats one and enters a Quaker meetinghouse. After sitting for a short time, he falls asleep during the meeting but is gently awakened without a word of complaint. Ben Franklin's account of his first day in Philadelphia is the success story of one man's attempt to capture... the medium of paper... that Ricans once believed was the definition of their identity. It follows the life of a man who shares the same dream that Benjamin Franklin believed in when he first arrived in Philadelphia to make a living as a new man. Jay Gatsby however fails and ultimately dies in pursuing his dreams because his dreams are unrealistic and the end goal of his dream is tainted by selfishness and greed. Fitzgerald helps readers understand that even in times of prosperity like the Roaring Twenties, the famous American concept of becoming rich and famous can be a fruitless pursuit that leads only to disappointment and heartbreak. Fitzgerald ends the novel on a positive note, however, applauding humanity's tenacity in relentlessly pursuing our dreams and providing some hope that perhaps one day every American citizen will be able to achieve their own American Dream..