I have always pondered the structure of society from a young age. How did men become the main intermediaries between their families and God in religious societies? In the novel, “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author explores the impact a theocratic government has on the way society views the family. The stage is set in 17th century Puritan Boston, a time period when church and state were fully intertwined. The main characters Hester Prynne, a married woman and Arthur Dimmesdale, a reverend of the church, have an affair in which Prynne bores a child. Prynne’s sin is obvious to the congregation because of the easily observable physical characteristics of pregnancy and the product of a child born out of sin she in turn receives the punishment of being socially humiliated. On the other hand, …show more content…
He confesses in front of his people moments before his last breaths but never receives the same level of punishment. This is an ironic case of adultery because of Dimmesdale’s position of authority in both legal and religious spheres of Puritan society. Gender norms are undoubtedly one of the main factors of such an ironic situation. In the following discourse we will analyze how Puritan society favors gender in certain capacities. Women’s main roles in Puritan society were to be mothers and faithful subordinates to their husbands. Whereas men were seen as leaders of all aspects of society. It is also critical to note that there was little formal influence a woman could exert on the government of this era. The townspeople regarded women as instruments
Back then women were not allowed to speak as often as they would have liked to. They were expected to be caregivers, have and raise children, and do household duties such as cleaning and cooking for the family. Basically that was a women's typical role, men were constantly seen as being way above women, so therefore they would always be the ones who commanded or had the final word in what would be done. Women were seen as passive and weak, and not as able to accomplish physically or mentally all that men
However, this was different from the tribe’s social structure. Men were largely in charge, but had the backing of the women. They always took the women’s thoughts into mind and listened to them over anyone else, because without them they wouldn’t stay in power. Also, the chiefs of the tribes were male, but were often the poorest members of the
“ The Puritan Society was a man's world”(Life 1). In the mid-eighteenth century in colonial America, the parts men acknowledged of ladies took after a strict rule. Those rules kept ladies in specific limits. Points of view on women in the society were
“ The Puritan society was a man’s world” (Life 1). In the early eighteenth century in Colonial America, the roles men accepted of women followed a strict guideline. Those guidelines kept women in certain boundaries. Perspectives on women within the Puritan community consisted of two features. The first was that women were considered to be “the
In my thesis I contend that the Puritan society was successful because they came with family and friends from the same town or homes they originated from. Puritans also distributed lands amongst charters which created a stable economic status for all of the people living in the community. They were also able to befriend any neighboring Native Americans to avoid conflict that can harm or destroy their new successful society. Puritans came to New England with a new self-rule, meaning they left England because of religious persecution held against them. They were able to create a new successful society that lasted a very long time.
Households were strictly patriarchal in which the man of the house made all the important decisions. Women's jobs at the time were mostly relegated to domestic service and occasional work at harvest time. The jobs were always of low pay, low status, and required little training. In addition to this females were not legally permitted to inherit land or property. This was the bleak life of a woman, with little hope or power, and always the subordinate of men.
The relationship a Puritan had with their husband or wife was considered temporary (48). To care too much for one’s spouse, one who someone would be with for a fleeting amount of time, could appear to cheapen the value of their eternal relationship with God. Within the relationship of husband and wife, husbands were considered the superior created for the inferior wives to serve (45). Because of this, women were not supposed to delve as deeply into the scripture as men were (44). As they were considered inferior, it would be unfair to expect them to wade through the same thought-provoking works men read.
Women were considered to be the “weaker vessels ,” not as strong physically or mentally as men and less emotionally stable. Legally they could neither vote, hold public office, nor participate in legal matters on their own behalf, and opportunities for them outside the home were frequently limited .
Women, in general, were expected to be able to run their homes, taking care of their spouses and children in whatever form was needed at the
I found it very interesting how the Puritans Women took on roles such as acting as farmhands and tending to their vegetable gardens. It did make sense that the most important role for a Puritan woman to take on was being a mother. Women in Puritan society fulfilled a number of different roles but acting as farm hands seemed unusual to me.
Woman and family roles are considerably different today than they were back in Puritan times. Puritans thought that the public’s foundation rested on the “little commonwealth”, and not merely on the individual. The “little commonwealth” meant that a father’s rule over his family mirrored God’s rule over creation or a king over his subjects. John Winthrop believed that a “true wife” thought of herself “in [weakness] to her husband’s authority.” As ludicrous as this idea may appeal to women and others in today’s society, this idea was truly necessary for colonies to be able to thrive and maintain social order.
Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, English Protestants established a group referred to as the Puritans. The Puritans were resistant to bold flavors and intense ingredients, such as garlic, for these had “Catholic Continental political references”. This led to a distinguishable description of English cooking. (Amelia Meyers) Puritan meals and mealtimes are different from what we know today.
of a man. Women were able to hold political positions, possess land, and overall enjoy a
In comparison with men, women didn’t have a lot of rights and freedom. Some argued that men and women were different species and that men were similar to gods and women were similar to animals. Men could vote but women couldn’t,
The society was patriarchal. Women were deemed not smart enough or strong enough to own property, or to make marriage decisions or, unless she was in the nobility, to be educated. Women were expected to marry and then devote their lives to being good wives, mothers and