How does the fictional character of Rip Van Winkle contrast with the historical character of Benjamin Franklin, the self-made man?

1. Rip is lazy; Benjamin Franklin worked tirelessly as a
youth through adulthood to achieve personal, social, and political
goals.

2. Rip allows himself to be tortured by a
"termagant" wife, while Ben Franklin is a known womanizer. While this might not seem to
have much to do with a "self-made" man, it truly is connected because a man in control
of his own destiny would not allow himself to be henpecked
daily.

3. Rip confines himself to his town and the closely
surrounding areas. He does not seem to be interested in world affairs and appears to be
unaffected by the Revolution's change in government. In contrast, Franklin is a man of
the world who travels on behalf of the colonies and who enjoys international
culture.

4. Finally, Rip is a Romantic--he relishes idyllic
natural settings and literally dreams away his time. Franklin is a realist who
pragmatically searches for ways to better himself and society.