Clarifying Points on Puritanism and The Scarlet Letter
Did You Know?
 The Scarlet Letter is set in Boston in the 1640s 17th c.
 Salem Witch Trials, of which Hawthorne is
ashamed, occurred 1692 – late 17th c.
 Hawthorne published the novel in 1850 – 19th c.
At This Point in Time:
When Hester stood on the scaffold around 1640…
 The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower had landed at
Plymouth Rock 20 years earlier (in 1620).
 Boston had been settled for only 10 years (it was
founded in 1630).
 The Salem witch trials were still 50 years (1692) in
the future, but one of the historical characters in
The Scarlet Letter would be hanged as a witch
(Mistress Ann Hibbins).
Who are the Puritans?
 Today the term refers to someone who has
extremely strict moral standards.
 In 16th and 17th centuries, though, Puritans
were political and religious revolutionaries.
 Began as members of The Church of England
 However, the objected to abuses they saw in
the church:
 Riches (stained glass, gold
candlesticks, fine vestments, etc.)
 Wealthy bishops making church policy
 Aims:
1. Return to values of early Christianity
a. shun materialism: return to hard work and
simplicity
2. To Purify the Church
a. remove all traces of Catholicism
from The Church and its practices (see above)
b. recognize Bible as sole source of
authority
3. To Establish a Theocracy
(Where God’s word is interpreted by ministers;
their interpretations are the basis for
law/governing)
4. To Provide a Place for Puritans to
Worship Freely
(NOT intended to provide religious freedom for
all – they dealt harshly with those who openly
differed from their beliefs)
 Beliefs:
1.
Predestination
2.
Limited Atonement
3.
Total Depravity
4.
Irresistible Grace
5.
Bible - sole source of religious
authority
 Behavior:
1. Worked hard (Idle hands do the Devil’s
work)
2. Persecuted other religious groups
3. Punished all sinners harshly
4. Educate all (How else can you read your
Bible?
Explain the hypocrisy.
 Because of their severity and hypocrisy,
“Puritan” is a disparaging term today.
Is there a difference between the Pilgrims and the Puritans?
YES!
What’s the Same:
 Both groups disagreed with Queen Elizabeth’s
(1558-1601) approach to stabilizing the country
through religious tolerance.
 Elizabeth I realized that any religious extremism
would result in strife, and she wanted peace;
England and its church should be inclusive.
 Nonconformist groups (Puritans and Pilgrims)
wanted to bring The Church of England to a state
of purity (for example, by removing the finery,
vestments, and ceremony from The Church), hence
the name “Puritan.”
 Unsuccessful attempts to reform The Church of
England resulted in persecution, which caused many
to migrate to America.
What’s different?
 Puritans didn’t leave the Anglican Church
– they sought to reform it from within.
o They had set sail from England with a dream.
Their new nation would be a guiding light- an
example for the whole world. Once The
Church of England saw the exemplary
community, how could it deny the Puritans’
righteous ways?
o John Winthrop (minister and governor of
Mass. Bay Colony) said the colony was a shining
“City Upon A Hill” and that “the eyes of all
people are upon us.”
They represented the “pure” Church of
England and planned to return to England and
replace the corrupt church. This was the
Puritan vision for America.
o It isn’t surprising they established a
theocracy in New England, so the
church could influence government;
every part of their lives (religious,
political, and social) was influenced by
The Church. Hence, Christianity could
be more like it was during Christ’s life.
 Pilgrims were Separatists – They left the
Church and England: they never planned
to return to England.
Is The Scarlet Letter romantic literature? Yes,
thus it will . . .
1.
Deal with the strange and mysterious
2.
Characterize the noble characters as
intuitive and imaginative
3.
Turn to the past for subject matter
4.
Show a distrust of civilization while
representing nature positively (though
paradoxically)
5.
Paint passion and emotion positively
Whatever happened to the Puritans?
(FYI: Don’t need to write)
Steeples on Meetinghouses, Cushions in Pews
“The Massachusetts Bay Colony’s founders envisioned a
model community of ideal Puritan life. But it could never
be. Other immigrants trickled in, and some didn't share the
Puritan vision. Meanwhile, American-born children of the
early Puritans didn't share the same religious passion of
their parents. Many congregations loosened the rules on
membership to maintain their numbers. Stern Puritanism
over time slipped into gentler Congregationalism. The early
plain steepleless meetinghouses gave way to steepled
buildings that looked more like churches, even though they
were still called meetinghouses. The boxed pews started to
be equipped with cushions.”
“Eventually the Congregationalists had a crisis, producing a
split, with one branch remaining Congregationalists and the
other forming Unitarian churches. The remaining
Congregationalists eventually came together with churches
rooted in the German Reformed traditions, forming an
association now called the United Church of Christ. The
Unitarians, meanwhile, merged with Universalists, and now
are known as Unitarian Universalists.”
 The transcendental movement (Henry David
Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and
Margaret Fuller) will emerge from the
Unitarian Church!
Sources:
Conforti, Joseph A., Saints and Strangers: New England in British North America. Baltimore, Johns
Hopkins University Press, 2006.
Labaree, Benjamin W., Colonial Massachusetts: A History. Millwood, New York, KTO Press, 1979.
Morris, Michelle. "Plymouth Colony." World Book Student. World Book, 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2009.
Starkey, Marion L., “The Congregational Way: The Role of the Pilgrims and Their Heirs in Shaping
America,” Garden City, New York, Doubleday & Company, 1966.
Unitarian Controversy and Its Puritan Roots