Puritanism

A detailed Summary of Puritanism


The Salem witch trials were some of the most famous events in US history. To this day, people are fascinated by how corrupted this Puritan village became. Severely dedicated, the Puritans followed a strict moral code. However, sin and evil were basic components of their community. Possibly, this proved the Puritan theory that wickedness is not taught, but a fundamental part of human nature. Or it proved Hawthorne's theory that sin occured because of the severe laws of the Puritans. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, he exposes flaws in Puritan society by utilizing minor, but symbolic characters.

Govenor Bellingham serves as representation of one of the three main elements of Puritanism: State. Hawthorne portrays Bellingham as a wealthy, elderly gentleman, who resembles a traditional British aristocrat. As the head government official


Hawthorne's character, Reverend Wilson, poses as the symbol for the harsh Puritan Church. Boston's oldest clergyman, Reverend Wilson is scholarly, and grandfatherly. He is constantly pouring over his books, and his genial personality usually attracts children. Hawthorne describes Wilson as the stereotypical Puritan founding father. Unlike Dimmesdale, Wilson preaches hell fire and damnation, and is an advocate for the harsh punishment of sinners. " However stern he might be in the pulpit, the genial benevolence of his private life had won him warmer affection than any of his professional contemporaries" (109). Hawthorne also suggests, that the Reverend Wilson has no right, " to meddle or condemn human guilt, passion, and anguish" (71). This implies that even the "saints" of the Puritan church had no right to condemn those who sinned. It also suggests that Hawthorne did not believe t

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Approximate Word count = 597
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Religion

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