The Great Plains
Creighton at one point finds himself in the Great Plains, running away from the American army. While there, he as the opportunity to see the vastness of the American territory and why so many were willing to give up their lives to protect it. Because of this, the Great Plains are used here as a metaphor for the desire to achieve freedom.
The printed press
Benjamin Franklin worked as a printer before he became involved in politics. During his lifetime, Franklin printed a great deal of writings, some of them political and advocating for the independence of the American colony. The newspapers, essays and the books printed by Franklin are as such used in the novel as a metaphor, representing the means through which the revolutionary message was transmitted.
The French
Sophie is a French maid which has the same ideas as Benjamin Franklin and other revolutionaries. The French are also the only nation which agreed to help the British by providing them with weapons and supplies to help them fight against the British. Because of these factors, the French become a metaphor in the novel, used to reference the help the British needed and the people who were willing to help them.
Benjamin Franklin’s death
The novel ends with the death of Benjamin Franklin, hanged for everyone to see. While this did not happened in reality, in the novel Benjamin Franklin is discovered as a result of his revolutionary actions and punished for them. The death of Benjamin Franklin is used in this novel as a metaphor, representing the end of the revolutionary movement and in a way, the death of American independence.
Violent tendencies
Another accurate historic character in the novel is Benedict Arnold, who fought against the British army and won. Benedict Arnold is presented in the novel as an extremely violent character, someone who will do anything to get into a fight and will look for excuses to become violent. This violent tendency becomes a metaphor in the novel, being used to represent the lengths to which the Americans were willing to go in order to gain their independence.
