Compared to Romantics, Puritans had no connection between their writing and the reader. An abundance of examples can easily be found throughout Irving’s The Devil and Tom Walker, Bonet’s The Devil and Daniel Webster, and Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death. Each of these stories were written to humanize the writing so the readers could connect to it easier. The humanization helped the reader to connect to characters that were able to defeat evil without God’s help, using the human power that the reader themself also has. Puritans used their writings to show only what you could do with God, and how helpless you were without God. Romantics were better than puritans because they bring out this power humans have without God’s help. The first story …show more content…
portrayed a Devil that carried the evil out of the world. The second introduced a Devil that brought the evil into people, then took those people out. The third exemplified a humanized plague that drew unsuspected citizens to their death. This is best exemplified in the three main focuses in the three stories; exotic settings, evil strangers, and symbolism. The exotic setting in The Devil and Tom Walker was described as “The swamp was thickly grown with great gloomy pines and hemlocks, some of them 90 feet high, which made it dark at noonday, and a retreat for all the owls of the neighborhood,” brought a new location that readers are unfamiliar with because in reality there are few, if any, swamps surrounded by such large forests so thick that no light can enter through its trunks (Irving 4). This is important because the new setting entices readers to continue deep into the story and reevaluate the areas in their own lives and find the exoticness there. The readers can find new things and features of their own homes by looking at it with the perspective that the authors had while looking in their minds at these fictitious settings. The exotic settings, such as this one, prove the romantics to be superior to the Puritans because they really indulge in the details of the world around the characters. The farm in The Devil and Daniel Webster was written as “That was the kind of man he was, and his big farm up at Marshfield was suitable to him.
The chickens he raised were all white meat down through the drumsticks, the cows were tended like children, and the big ram he called Goliath had horns with a curl like a morning-glory vine and could butt through an iron door,” Daniel Webster (Benet 306), and this was a detailed setting that really helped the reader leave reality. In reality, no farm is perfectly suitable to a person in this intense fashion. The foreign aspect of the setting help to show how the the romantics were better than puritans because they really improve on focusing on the location of the story. The location aspect was also strengthened when the castle in The Masque of the Red Death was described as “A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts” , it proved similar to the exotic places writers would go to contemplate their stories (Poe 95). These settings were important because the exotic nature draws the writers and readers away from the dull realities, unlike the puritans who didn’t highlight these aspects of the …show more content…
story. “It is true he was dressed in a rude half-indian garb, and had a red belt or sash swathed round his body; but his face was neither blank nor copper-color, but swarthy and dingy, and begrimed with soot, as if he had been accustomed to toil among fires and forges. He had a shock coarse black hair, that stood out from his head in all directions, and bore an eye on his shoulder,” (Benet 307). This passage illustrated the Devil as portrayed by Benet in The Devil and Daniel Webster. This Devil was particularly important because it promoted religion in a different way. Tom Walker was a greedy man who refused homes to anybody he could possibly refuse homes to and kept the money for himself and himself only. The Devil punished him for his sins by taking him away from his bank and away from the world, which could have been prevented if he didn’t put his work above the Bible, literally in some situations. This aspect of writing proved how romantics are above the puritans because they expose human power in the readers, instead of telling them to hope and pray that God will help them on their journey. The evil strangers, such as the one described with “And sure enough, the next day, about supper-time, a dark dressed stranger drove up in a handsome buggy, and asked for Jabez Stone,” represent the evilness humans face without God’s help, and when they reach victory, the story reveals the power humans have with them, even without God’s help (Benet 307). This helps to show new abilities in people, which promotes the speciality of human superiority. Parts like these show how romantics beat the puritans in terms of writing because they bring out the abilities the reader has to the reader themself, instead of telling them to have God help them on their journey and not to do anything without him. “The figure was tall and gaunt and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask, which concealed the visage, was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had a difficulty in detecting the cheat,” (Poe 99). This description of the evil stranger in The Masque of the Red Masque, described, not a devil, but a living form of the plague that came to kill each person, which promoted the creativity Romanticism had because, logically, that couldn’t happen in real life. This shows how romantics are better than the puritans because they empower the readers, rather than tell them to rely on God. The specific scenario written in The Devil and Tom Walker as “He raked it out of the vegetable mould and lo!
A cloven skull with an Indian tomahawk buried deep in it, lay before him. The rust on the weapon showed the time that had elapsed since this deathblow had been given. It was a dreary momento of the fierce struggle that had taken place in this last foothold of the Indian Warriors. ‘Humph’ said Tom Walker, as he gave it a kick to shake the dirt from it,” symbolizes the racism during this time in America (Irving 5). Even in the places where the Native Americans should be respected the most, such as their grave site, people are still willing to disrespect them so much as to kick their dead skull around in anger. Symbolism brings focused elements to the story by highlighting the meaning of the words. Symbolism, as seen in the part of The Devil and Daniel Webster that describes the situation as “ But Jabez Stone wasn’t listening, for he saw something that looked like a moth, but wasn't a moth. And as Jabez Stone stared at it, it seemed to speak to him in a small, sort of piping voice, terribly small and thin, terribly human” brings an enhanced literature element to the story by bringing out the hidden details behind the words and forcing the reader to really contemplate the life of the characters (Benet 308). This symbolism strengthens the writing and improves the plot, unlike the puritans that didn’t use this
feature. The scene in The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe that is the strongest in symbolism describes a part of the castle as “There was a sharp turn at every 20 or 30 yards, and at each turn a novel effect. To the right and left, in the middle of each wall, a tall and narrow Gothic window looked out upon a closed corridor which pursued the winding of the suite. These windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened. That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue- and vividly blue were its windows. The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was green throughout and so were the ornaments. The fourth was furnished and lighted with orange-the fifth was white- the sixth with violet,” ( Poe 96). The scene has a strong sense of symbolism as each color in the hallway represents a different time of life, ranging from the first being birth, to the sixth being the final stage before the black area, which was death. Symbolism this intense showcases the allegorical elements of the story and promote the real world aspects of the plot, which entices the reader to look deeper into the story. As the reader searches farther and finds the meaning behind the words, it increases their power when it comes to analyzing text, something that couldn’t be done in a Puritan’s work.
In America, the period of Romanticism brought up many depictions of society that held their place in America many decades ago. This society was made up of Puritans who held a strong belief system and was even their form of governing. Romantic authors like Washington Irving, who wrote “The Devil and Tom Walker”, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote The Scarlet Letter included Puritans in their stories to convey a message. In both works, the authors focus on Puritans in their stories to convey an image of who Puritans were and what they did, though not in a positive light through the use of the devil and the setting of a forest. This is because of how Romanticism generally satirized Puritans and tried to portray them as completely contradictory
Miller Edwards,Hawthorne and korning each show how religion was a sin in puritan cultures and affected many people’s lives that punishment will come when you have disgraced your religion that good is against the devil there is a strict form of puritan. Puritans were dedicated to work to save themselves from the sins in the world. Guilt was a great force in the puritans belief. The people in the story are Puritans a religion often depicted because of its rules and severe punishments to those who sin. The puritans left england to avoid religious persecution they established a society in America founded upon religion intolerance, Up surprising result the church dominates the Puritan culture.
First, both of the main speakers within each of the following Puritan literary works were ministers during the 1700s, which was around the time of the Puritans. These works were also written within third person point of view. Now, both of these ministers then express their concerns for their congregation
In the late 1600’s, literature is dissimilar from today’s, such as focusing on being sent into the fiery pits of hell only because one hasn’t converted to Puritanism. There are also different types of writing to display the righteousness and positives of being a converted and loyal to the Puritan culture. Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are two popular Puritan authors who project different messages and portray a varying energy through a slim number of their pieces. The poems, “To My Dear and Loving Husband” or “Upon the Burning of Our House” by Anne Bradstreet or “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards are fit examples of the Puritan age and what Puritans belive to be religiously
Nathaniel Hawthorne used the writing of Romanticism in describing the life of Puritans. Romanticism appreciate nature, value emotions over reasoning, trust people are good in general but get corrupted by the society, appraise individual rights and believe in supernatural. Nathanial Hawthorne was a Romantic writer born in 1804. As a descendant of Puritan, Hawthorne was fascinated about Puritans culture, so he used Romanticism writing style to describe the life of Puritans (Pierce). Puritans were originated from Great Britain and immigrated to America. They believed that Bible was the only source of their conduct and faith, and in their entire lives, they should maintain devoting their lives to the Christ. Puritans encouraged more preaching, and they wanted the simplicity form of clothing and ceremonies (Havran). Even though “The Minister’s Black Veil” is a story about Puritans, there are still plenty of dedicate depictions in a way of Romanticism.
The Puritan period was a time of new beginnings, faith and spirituality. The three things that defined the Puritans was their belief in the bible as a sole source of God’s will, belief in original sin, and their belief in predestination. Because religion was such an important part of the Puritan lifestyle, lots of the Puritan people wrote poems or stories either about God or made allusions to God in their work. However, not everyone saw God in the same way. Both Anne Bradstreet, the author of “Upon the Burning of our House” and Jonathan Edwards, the author of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, focus on one all powerful, omnipotent being in their work. However, while Bradstreet illustrates God’s mercy and forgiveness, Edwards depicts a God filled with wrath and vengeance.
The puritans were very religious. They wanted to show everyone what happens if you are good and believe in god and the heavens. If you do bad things you would be punished or be killed. If you do good things you can be hand chosen to go to heaven.
In the book Wayward Puritans, Kai Erikson stands to argue that deviance and the consequences and punishments of this deviance form a significant mechanism of social regulation. Truly the main purpose of "Wayward Puritans" is to argue that deviant forms of behavior are often overlooked as a valuable resource in society. These forms of deviancy provide a point of contrast which is essential for the maintenance of a rational social order. As a sociologist, Kai Erikson views our history as a replication of changes in societal norms and expectations. In this book, Erikson revisits the society of the Puritans. By exploring and investigating several “crime waves” throughout history, Erikson notes several forms in which we as a society have seen deviance throughout history. Erikson begins the discussion of his research of Puritan lifestyle and the influences of deviance; Erikson investigates the Antinomian Controversy, the Quaker Invasion, and the Witches of Salem Village.
While I'm sitting here at my computer, in my air conditioned home, with the radio blaring and the t.v. on downstairs, I try to imagine how life was as a young Puritan. To be honest, I don't think I could live a week the way they do. I could try but it would be excruciatingly difficult.
In the "Masque of the Red Death," the first sentence, "The Red Death had long devastated the country," sets the tone for the whole story. Poe describes the horrors of the disease, stressing the redness of the blood and the scarlet stains. The disease kills so quickly that one can die within thirty minutes of being infected with the disease. To create a frightening effect of the revulsion of this disease, Poe uses words such as "devastated," "fatal," "horror of blood," and "sharp pains and profuse bleeding." In summary, the story relates the prince, trying to be safe and away from the horrible death, invites a thousand friends to be in seclusion in his abbey away from the disease. During a celebration , a masked ball at the abbey - with incredible described rooms and moods - a surprise masked intruder causes death to all.
The Puritan religion played a significant role in the Puritan life, believers felt that God specifically choose them for a special purpose and they must live in a god fearing manner. Reading the bible, was something mandatory to show their religious discipline. If they did not read the bible, people thought that they worshiped the dev...
"The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the 'Red Death,'" (209). As Edgar Allen Poe set the scene for his story, he also created an ominous mood and a sense of suspense supported by the setting. He details the fun and amusement inside the prince's abbey, in contrast to the horror and doom outside, and the reader's curiosity is piqued, because such bliss cannot be maintained for long. Throughout the story Poe explicates and changes elaborate environments to build the suspenseful energy and create a strong structure. In "The Masque of the Red Death," setting is employed to organize motives and action, and to focus the reader on the climax. Poe targets the culminating point of his story using rich descriptions of the abbey, the masquerade, and the clock.
The Puritans knew God through the Bible and what their ministers preached. They did not believe that God would speak directly to mortals. The Puritan Minister Robert Cushman once stated, “Whereas God of the old [Testament] did call and summon our fathers by predictions, dreams, visions, and certain illuminations. Now there is no such calling to be expected for any matter whatsoever.” In the Puritan’s time, if God was to speak directly to a mortal, it was thought to be the devil in disguise.
Puritan literature focuses on all people's instincts to protect their best interest and the lengths they will go to keep blame from themselves. Society emphasizes the sins of others rather than facing the faults in itself as seen through Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter and The Minister's Black Veil, and Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible. The authors criticize society's use of punishment, intolerance, and hypocrisy in dealing with sin. Puritanism viewed religion and law as almost identical, making Puritan societies strict theocracies with clergy exclusively controlling people's lives. Puritanism was also based on a somewhat fatalistic view of the human race, as seen in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.
Crimes to the indigenous people, slave ownership along with over three hundred cases, mainly innocent women who were burned to death fueled by superstitions and accusations of heresy. This is in direct opposition to past scholarly literary commentators, i.e., Emory Elliott’s Introduction from Puritan Influences in American Literature, “For the reader who could read the Puritan books as Edwards [Jonathan] read them, there awaited the rich and rewarding experience of an imaginative and aesthetic vision which was Puritanism’s most important legacy for American literature. Only when that high level of Puritan scholarship had been attained” (xii). But, later admits, “…[you] discover in the works of the great writers of the American Renaissance the complicated ways in which those masters had captured, exploited, and sometimes parodied what they received from the full imaginative wealth of the Puritan tradition” (xii) Elliott cleverly buries their exploitive and manipulated writings in his description. He continues, “… The most exciting body of ideas to emerge from a deeper understanding of the Puritans has resulted from a careful analysis of how the New England colonists conceived of what we have come to call the ‘American dream.