The Puritans had a heavily important part in the formation of early America, as well as a religion that influenced our early American society. This society has been the target which many authors have picked to set their novels in. Two selections that go into detail about some of the different aspects of the Puritan people are The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. These two particular writers who wrote of Puritan times conveyed, in their text, the values of the Puritan community of 17th century.
In The Crucible, the entire plot is molded by the morals of the Puritan society. This society relied on the "outsider", or a person in Puritan society that is looked on with suspicion. These outsiders were needed
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Also with an outsider, Hester Prynne, is perhaps the most obvious example of alienation. She is branded from the beginning of the story by a large red 'A' to be worn always on her bosom as a punishment for the sin of adultery. She cannot escape this marking -- it is there for all to see. Thus, she is marked and labeled as 'different' in her society, which opens her to much scorn and subsequent alienation. Despite Hester's significant involvement and participation in her society, thanks to this indelible mark, she did not belong. Her fellow citizens treat her in such a way that “...every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere.” (Hawthorne 72) The idea of harsh punishment for sins was the broadest of these Puritan values. Hester Prynne was punished with public humiliation and “with only that one ornament, -the scarlet letter,- which it was her doom to wear” (Hawthorne 77). This brings into effect another part of Puritan society, the sin of one community member was the sin of all, ensuring that God's chastisement would fall on the entire community. Collective guilt, then, meant collective and very public punishment. Hester has violated the commandment forbidding adultery, so her public and prolonged punishment is a sort of collective purification. If the sinful individual is made to atone, then maybe the community can itself be washed clean. And if the sinner is especially stubborn, and Hester's refusal to name her child's father is taken as a sign of stubbornness, of disobedience to the church, the community, and its moral well-being, then her punishment must be that much more severe and enduring. If the sinner doesn't repent of her own accord, in other words, then the community will force her into it. Hypocrisy also dots the
Puritan society in early america was very strict. It was not desired to wear fancy clothing or own fancy household things. Being plain was looked upon as normal. The Crucible is a story beginning in Salem Massachusetts in 1692 during a time where witch hunts begin to erupt all over early America. John Proctor the main character is a well respected man throughout the community but his flaw is he had an affair with the Antagonist of the story, Abigail Williams.
The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller , both share the theme of reputation and integrity. This book and play both take place in the life of Puritans. Hawthorne expresses him theme with symbols like the scarlet letter. Arthur expresses the theme within life situations that some puritans may have went through. The main character in The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne, she committed adultery and was part of her punishment was wearing the scarlet letter.
When Hester originally withhold his name from public and this public shame, Dimmesdale goes and says that it is better for shame out in public then secretly in the hearts of the sinner. On the balcony, Dimmesdale says: 000000000000 “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him—yea, compel him, as it were—to add hypocrisy to sin? Heaven hath granted thee an open ignominy, that thereby thou mayest work out an open triumph over the evil within thee and the sorrow without. Take heed how thou deniest to him—who, perchance, hath not the courage to grasp it for himself—the bitter, but wholesome, cup that is now presented to thy lips!”
The colonization of the United States has been a period in the history of America in which many things occur, such things as the puritan’s immigration, which led to the establishment of their Protestant Ethic in America. Such Ethic impacted a lot that many things were created from it, like Manifest Destiny. Not only th e Protestant Ethic created the Manifest Destiny, also it impacted and changed the Literature. It all started when the first persecuted Puritans leave Europe in search of a new home to practice their religion.
The crucible was written during the red scare when the U.S. feared communism many were questioned and imprisoned based on them being communist spies or supporters. Arthur Miller himself was questioned and imprisoned based on him being a supporter of communism. This changed and altered the way he wrote the play to give notice to the situation around him. For example, Hale left and only later came back to help the convicted. This represents all the people who questioned the situation around them but did nothing to help.
In the 1600s Puritans from England came to North America to start a new life where they could have religious freedom and practice their faith as they saw was best. Many of them settled in small towns in Massachusetts in which they started families, businesses, and close communities. They had very strong beliefs and ideals of how a good Puritan was supposed to be for example: they had to attend church regularly, consistently read the bible, and never disrespect God’s name or commit disrespectful acts, that are considered sins. The Crucible takes place in the late 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts. Reverend Parris was the Minister of the Salem church and he had an active role in the community.
On a normal day I wake up, get ready, put on clothes I want to wear, eat my breakfast and go to school. The weather doesn't matter; if it's raining or sunny. People are nice, people are mean; I am too. My worries are different, my thought consist of how my hair looks, if I have acne, am I'm going to stand out? (Hopefully not.)
The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is a story of a scandal that ultimately results in the hanging of several innocent townspeople. The tale, which takes place in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts around 1692, opens with Reverend Parris, the town minister, noticing a group of young girls attending a questionable gathering in the woods. The Puritan religion is a very strict faith in terms of the way a person may conduct themselves, which means that actions modern people find rebellious would be considered quite nefarious to a Puritan. As the story gains momentum, many corrupt people like Abigail Williams steer the situation in a direction that leads to distrust between neighbors, revenge, chaos, and even death for some. Incorporating these factors, Miller emphasizes the hysteria that develops when people fail to seek the truth with the character of Abigail Williams, a self-absorbed
The Crucible took place in Salem, Massachusetts where the Puritans lived in a restricted society with a unique culture and lifestyle. Puritans lives focused on religion and following God’s plan. Throughout the The Crucible religion played a major role in regards to the plot of the story. Religion was a big deal to the Puritans as it was a requirement to attend church. They wanted to live a simple and peaceful life.
Considering the townspeople’s reactions toward Hester’s sin of adultery, it can be concluded that in the Puritan era, religion was of utmost importance, and the Puritans met sins with extremely harsh punishments. Because the majority of the Puritan town viewed Hester as a disgrace, she became “Lonely . . . and without a friend on earth” (56). This made it effortless for the inhabitants of the town to continue to insult and degrade Hester because they did not care to learn her true personality. While a few civilians had sympathy for Hester, the town mostly regarded her as shameful and
The townspeople “[began] to look upon the scarlet letter as a token, not of that one sin, for which she had borne so long and dreary a penance, but of her many good deeds since.” This quote exemplifies how sin is not a death sentence for Hester. Through hard work and charity it allowed the rigid Puritan society to see her as something different, and as someone who would not let society define who she was. Hester, thus, was not only able to change herself, but also the image in which society viewed her by working hard to benefit the public. Likewise, the scarlet letter which was supposed to represent sin was instead “fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom.”
However, sanctification of the puritan times is paradoxical, emphasizing both repentance and righteousness. While, Hester is not truly repentant, she seems to compensate for her sin through the doctrine of righteousness. “What you do and say reflects who you are within” (Beeke). Through all the kind acts, Hester’s inside should be as pristine as that of a
In the “Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays hypocrisy of the Puritan society, where the protagonist Hester Prynne face many consequences of her actions and the how she tries to redeem herself to the society. During the seventeenth puritans believe that it is their mission to punish the ones who do not follow God’s word and it is their job to stop those from sinning. Therefore, the hypercritical puritan society punishes Hester harshly for committing adultery, but in Hester’s mind, she believes that what she did was not a sin but acts of love for her man. Eventually, she redeems herself by turning her crime into an advantage to help those in need, yet the Puritan society still view her as a “naughty bagger.” (Hawthorne 78)
(Hall, 127). This idea of a fair and just society was the centerpiece of Puritan society, and it subsequently led to the virtue of community over the individual which was previously discussed. When it comes to The Scarlet Letter, the ideology that Puritan morality is fundamental to everything is truly front and center. Hester’s struggle due to her past sin is a perfect example of this; The ministry attempted to purify and protect the community by excluding Hester from societal affairs, even going as far as attempting to strip Hester of her custody of Pearl. Overall, Hester’s forced
The Puritans were by far the most prudish and pedantic society in existence. “Puritan’s tolerance to sins against the Christian doctrine was very miniscule if any” (Weldon, n.d). On an apparent notice, Hester’s punishment was lenient but a closer inspection shows that the mental and emotional trauma of her punishment was crueler than initial anticipation. The magistrates wanted her and her sin to exist within their society hoping that this would bring unfathomable guilt to the male perpetrator and ultimately lead to him being brought to justice. So in hindsight, her punishment was more or less altered by this secret she hid within