context of Puritanism in American Literature (MEG-06 American Literature)

 

Puritanism is a religious movement. The movement played a significant role in the histories of the United States, England and Germany. The word "Puritan" is formed from the Latin word "Puritas" which means "purity". The King of England, Henry VIII, established his own church. This irked the Puritans because they felt that the Roman Catholic Church was in danger. They raised their voices against the King. The result was that the King gave an order to execute all the Puritans. The Puritans ran away, and came to settle down in New England, in the north part of America. 

The Puritans believed in the Bible as the source of all authority, accepted "inner light" as a source of understanding and maintained a rigid faith in hard work and duty. They were mostly influenced by the French religious reformer, Jean Calvin (1509-1574) whose belief in "Predestination" and "Grace" they fully accepted. According to the theory of "Grace", God's ways are unknown to men. Men only have to work hard and pray hopefully, but which souls are to be saved and whose to be condemned is not decided by one's devotion to God and the holiness of one's life, but by God Himself, although purity of thought and action is important. Hence, all life was a stage for the constant struggle between the forces of good (God) and evil (Satan).

There were four basic tenets of Puritanism.

They are as follows:

1. Total Depravity is the first tenet. Adam and Eve, the creations of God, were in the Garden of Eden; they were tempted by the devil. Because of disobedience to God, they were thrown out of Eden. Belief in the fact of the fall was the basis of all Puritan thought. Puritans believed that with this fall came Total Depravity; that is, all nature and all humans were corrupted and incapable of perfection; 'In Adam's Fall/ We sinned all', as the New England primer pithily expressed it.

2. Limited Atonement is the second tenet. Contrary to the belief that Christ's crucifixion had made redemption available to all, the Puritans believed in Limited Atonement; that is, only a minority, called the elect, were to be saved. The majority were damned or reprobate.

3. Irresistible Grace is the third tenet. The doctrine stated that the condition of being elect or reprobate was unalterable.

4. The fourth tenet is predestination. As in the Calvinistic doctrine of predestination, God had determined the course of human history since the beginning of time, and this included deciding who would be damned and who saved. Good works could not bring about salvation, although it was believed that individuals could show a readiness for grace by moral conduct. Because of rigid principles of Puritanism, the influence in the colonies waned with increased immigration of non-Puritans.

The critics of Puritanism have seen it as a blight on American history and culture. Ezra Pound called Puritanism 'blood poison' in a 1920 letter to William Carlos Williams. It has been held responsible for the American repression of sexuality, a fear of the body, a dualistic world view, the denigration of women and the cultivation of censoriousness. In addition to the rich legacy of Puritan Literature, Puritanism profoundly affected many later American writers, including Hawthorne, Melville, T. S. Eliot and Emily Dickinson.

 

 

Model question and Answer.

 What is Puritanism? Mention its characteristics. 

                                OR

Trace the impact of Puritanism on Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville?

Puritanism is a "spiritual movement": which developed under Elizabeth I (late 16 century), blossomed in the Interregnum (1640's and1650's), and withered in the persecution between the Restoration (1660) and Toleration (1689). Because of The Civil War (1638-1642) and the execution of King Charles I made enemies out of the Puritans and the King's supporters. After the Restoration (1660), the Puritans were persecuted by the civic authorities and they left England to settle in America, where the Mayflower expedition (1620) had already seen them settled in New England. The Puritans in New England established as Congregationalist Church in close association with their political rulers. Heretics and Dissidents were not accepted by them, and religion was the basis of this society. The priests were appointed by ability rather than by official patronage. The puritans were very strict in the their principles. Those who did not attend Church for worship were severely punished.

 
Members of the community were denied the freedom. The Bible was the source of understanding and maintained a rigid faith in hard work and duty. They were mostly influenced by the French religious reformer, Jean Calvin whose belief in "predestination" and "Grace" they fully accepted. According to the theory of "Elections" or "Grace", God's ways are unknown to men. Men only have to work hard and pray hopefully, but which souls are to be saved and whose to be condemned is not decided by one's devotion to God and the holiness of one's life, but by God Himself, although purity of thought and action is important. Hence, all life was a stage for the constant struggle between the forces of good (God) and evil (Satan).

This theme of struggle between good and evil is presented in most of the poets, the novelists and the dramatists John Milton's Paradise Lost, John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus are good examples in this regard. Nathaniel Hawthorne imbibed most of the views of his Puritan ancestors. He projected Puritanism in his novels such as The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. Herman Melville was equally influenced by this theme. He projected this theme in his masterpiece Moby Dick. The puritan themes of the universality of sin and "Predestination" also bothered Hawthorne's mind. The tales like "The Young Goodman Brown" and "Ethan brand" are good examples in this regard.

 
Critics of Puritanism have seen it as a blight on American history and culture. Ezra Pound called it "blood poison". It has been held responsible for the American repression of sexuality, a fear of the body, a dualistic world view, the denigration of women and the cultivation of censoriousness.

Despite its limitations, one could notice that Puritanism, even in the later periods, profoundly affected many later American writers like Emily Dickinson, T. S. Eliot and a host of others.