I agree with Tasnima Ahmed’s statements about the correlation between Benjamin Franklin and Tom Sawyer from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. She said that Benjamin Franklin and Tom Sawyer are both imperfect beings, but that does not stop them from being happy. This proves the notion that perfection does not necessarily attribute to happiness.

She refers back to the text Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin where Benjamin Franklin stated 13 qualities that make up a perfect person. Even though Benjamin Franklin did not have these 13 qualities, he stated that a man should allow himself to have a few flaws, so that his friends will support him. He stated that if someone were to be perfect, others might get jealous of him and envy him, therefore he would not have any friends. “…a perfect character might be attended with the inconvenience of being envied and hated” (Franklin9).

Tom Sawyer was not a perfect person either; he had his flaws. One of his flaws was that he refused to bathe for Sunday school. Uncleanliness is obviously a quality that would make a person far from perfect. This quality is also looked down upon by society as a whole. However, this quality did not cause Tom Sawyer to live a sad life.

Perfectionism will not always lead to happiness. One accepting who and how they are and being content with it, will lead to happiness.