Puritan society was a utopia made of strict religious conduct and revolved around God 's ultimate path and blessing. Anything that was believed to be sinful or was of material desires would be considered a sin, and later requires extensive prayer for God 's forgiveness. Puritans believed that their philosophy would last forever, and it would never become under threat from both seen and unseen forces. Puritan society was formed in and around Massachusetts, and would become the basis of American society as we know it to be today. One place, in which Puritan philosophy was invaded with such unseen forces, dates back to Salem, Massachusetts in the late seventeenth century. This unseen force that invaded Puritan thought would become the basis …show more content…
The nature imagery used expresses the flaws of Puritan thought and anxieties towards outside forces, both seen and unseen. Through his use of nature imagery and diction, the reader obtains a better understanding of such Puritan anxiety within the community as they try to maintain their utopian society from collapsing to these supernatural forces caused by an irritated and vengeful Devil. Nature imagery can turn an ordinary piece of literature into a vivid recollection of history. In Wonders of the Invisible World, nature plays a key role in discovering the hidden meaning being Puritan thought and doctrine, as well as aiding the reader to better understand why witchcraft become highly connected to many of their societal problems. This is evident in the very first lines; “The New Englanders are a people of God settled in those, which were once the devil’s territories…such a people here accomplishing the promise of old made unto our blessed Jesus, that He should have the utmost parts of the earth for His possession” (Mather 151). This is a very important passage because it quickly sets the tone for what is to come; that being that Puritans believed that until their colonies settled, the land was under rule of the devil. This highlights that Puritans like Mather, were under the impression that any land not touched by Puritan doctrine was previously under devilish influences. Nature therefore explains that it is a God given right to the Puritans as a way to possess the
Puritanism was a major belief during the 1500s-1700s, Puritans believed that you are required to devote your whole life to the Lord. In order to be a Puritan you had to glorify God by attending church, report sinners, and show God’s grace through your own actions. In
Mark Fiege, the author of The Republic of Nature, was able to capture the past history through the lens of nature. Nature by definition is something so simple but so broad. We as the readers must analyze the history and the effects of nature of the United States, but we must first understand what Mark Fiege was able to see through the lens of nature, how he was able to define nature. We can see such effects in the chapters of Satan in the Land, King Cotton, and Nature’s Noblemen.
The Salem Witch Trials brought havoc among the citizens of Salem, Massachusetts starting in 1692. Many of the people within the town continued to have strong loyalties to their new Puritan religion and their old king back home. The church of England had moved away from the Catholic religion with the help of King Henry VIII and the Puritans were a new group of people who accepted the split from Catholicism but still believed that the church of England had a lot of aspects that remained with the Catholic religion. Despite this, loyalty to the king remained strong because the Puritans were not looking to break off from the Church of England instead they wanted to reform the religion and make it their own. These loyalties stretched to such an extent that any sin committed was also considered an act of treason and thus punished. The Salem community was constantly searching for evil within their town to prove their righteousness to God which lead to high rates of fear and paranoia in their daily lives. The strict Puritan religion soon became the root cause of the monstrous imagination that started to form within the community of Salem. Many people still feared the presence of Catholic ideas within their communities and in response were willing to go to any extent to irradiate these views. Some historians also account the beginning of the trials to divisions within the two towns of Salem that lead to tensions and turmoil between the townsmen. But without the increased belief in their new religion, women around town wouldn’t have been persecuted. The strict belief in the Puritan religion and culture was the root cause of fear and paranoia that led to the mass execution of many women and townspeople during the Salem Witch Trials.
In the 1630's and the 1640's, the Puritans traveled to the colonies to detach from their opinion of a convoluted Church of England. They set up towns and started new lives that were all based on their idea of a pure religion. The Puritan's definition of a pure religion did not include many of the ideas of the Church of England. They built the colonies and made a system based upon the idea that God was the most important aspect of life. Puritan ideas and values influenced the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660’s by spreading their beliefs into every facet of daily life. Politically their ideas regarding what was considered sinful behavior and how power was separated among the
Puritans had many beliefs that affected the Salem Witch Trials, these were based on how the attendance or lack of attendance of the church, how people should behave, social class, and the way the government should be handled. Puritans were English Protestants that came to America in 1630. They sought to reform the Church of England. When they first came to America they settled at Salem, Massachusetts. The main reason the Puritan’s came to Salem was for freedom of religion which they did not have in England. The Puritans also came because they believed that the Church of England was not religious or enforcing religion enough. Puritans were just like the Pilgrims. Years later the Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 and ended
First it is necessary to examine how nature is identified with sin against the Puritan way of life. The first example of this is found in the first chapter regarding the rosebush at the prison door. This rosebush is located "on one side
Nature is an image brought up many times, in both physical and human aspects. The storms made by the witches, consisting of heavy
The Puritans were a religious group that came to North America in search of religious freedom, and, in the process, greatly impacted the North American church, government, education, social mores, and economy. Many of the things that they implemented in the first colonies are still seen today in the social and governmental structures of the United States. Their beliefs and traditions are still practiced today and many social mores are still being adhered to, even now.
A Puritan defined is “a member of a group of English Protestants of the late 16th and 17th centuries who regarded the Reformation of the Church of England under Elizabeth as incomplete and sought to simplify and regulate forms of worship.” Puritan society in America depended on the belief that all members were working for the glory of God. The Puritans did not allow deviations from the strict code of behavior which would not allow any member to have individuality. They restricted any type of entertainment, except that which was endorsed by the church. They worked and worshipped.
The year of 1692 marked a time of mass hysteria and conflict within the small village of Salem, Massachusetts; this time was known as the Salem Witch Trials. The trials plagued the village with chaos, mystery, and accusations. As the hysterics of witchcraft rippled through Salem, more than two-hundred people were accused and tried, one-hundred-fifty townspeople were arrested, approximately twenty people were executed, and five others died in prison. The trials had a domino effect on the townspeople and sent the village into a downward spiral. Since then, the trials have become tantamount to paranoia, as almost three centuries later, they continue to beguile the great minds of many. To this day, though there are many possible theories, and
The puritans go create the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They didn’t have strict rules like England, people were not forced to go to church, it all seems great. However, there were many issues. Puritans believed in Calvinism, or predestination. This was the idea that everything is preset by God and nothing you do can change your fate. “Nothing a person did in his or her lifetime could alter God’s choice or provide assurance that the person was predestined for salvation with the elect or damned to hell with the doomed multitude.” (The American
The Salem witchcraft trials resulted from a climate of repression, religious intolerance, and social hierarchy combined with fanaticism and the oppression of women. The Puritan leaders used the trials as a way to control the community and to prevent change in the strict social hierarchy. The trials ensured that the teachings of the church would be followed - anyone not following the church was simply accused of being a witch and punished accordingly. Witchcraft was considered a crime, and punishment was severe. The first recorded incidents of Witchcraft originated in the mind of a young girls who would supposedly use crystal balls to try and predict their future.
Hawthorne’s use of elaborate symbolism is seen through out the entire story. The naïve man represents all people, who at first are blind to all the wicked darkness in life. The forest is a foreshadowing of evil, and is used to set the atmosphere in the story. Hawthorne cleverly uses "Faith" as the Puritan’s wife’s name to show his readers that even those whom we entrust with our most intimate love and faith often experience the same temptations and desires as the rest of mankind. The Devil’s fire, around which all the townspeople danced, is a representation of all their sins. At the end of the Puritan’s journey his transformation is a symbol of what happens to people when faced with the realization that no individual is sinless. This situation is similar to when a child discovers that its once loving and all knowing parents have flaws, it goes through this transition and it too looses its innocence. Through this gloomy allegory filled will elaborate symbolism Hawthorne conveys his ideas on the darkness of human nature.
Over the years, people broadcast the Puritans as a group of people who were extremely legalistic and against anything that would be considered fun in the modern world. This incorrect broadcast of the Puritans has led to many misconceptions about how they lived when they came to the New World and settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Puritans were not legalistic, but rather sought to please God by creating a society that focused on fulfilling their calling through the institutions of family, work, education, and government in a positive environment. This led to a fruitful society when it followed in its original intentions.
Throughout history God has had a place in society, by either being the divine leader, the creator of everything or even a non existent character. The Puritans were an English Protestant group in the late 16th and 17th century that believed God was the divine leader. With their strong beliefs and strict laws controlling their followers, the Puritans lived a simple life praising the lord to one day get into Heaven. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne a descendant of early Puritan settlers; a story is told based in a Puritan community following the life of Hester Prynne and her Puritan community around her. We see in this novel how the life of the Puritans are deposited. Another story that shows the Puritan life is The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving. He brought a new voice to literature by writing The Devil and Tom Walker a dark story with the devil. After reading these two stories we see how both authors showed the Puritan lifestyle in both. Also how Puritanism affects the characters in both stories and how each author had their own opinions on the Puritans. The authors show the life of the Puritans and their belief of heaven and hell through these chilling stories.