The Crucible: The Puritan Society

The Puritan Society Imagine having to leave your home because you cannot practice your religion freely. This was reality for the Puritans in England before they took a long journey to an unknown land in Salem, Massachusetts. There, they struggled to settle into a strict, religious lifestyle. They followed their Bible and went to Church. They also had harsh punishments for treason as well as other forms of crime. The Puritans were people with a strong belief system that led to irrational fears and a confined lifestyle. The Salem Witch Trials were a time of horror when neighbors accused each other of witchcraft, which led to most Puritans being hanged or put in a dungeon. According to the movie, The Crucible; Reverend …show more content…
According to (brittanica.com), a theocracy is a system of government where the government is ruled by the members of the clergy. A theocracy government is extremely strict in religion. There were many stern rules and regulations that the Puritans had to follow. The Puritans had a group of members of the clergy that formed their government. In addition, they all had strong beliefs of how the society should run. They believed in purified souls and hard work. Also, there were harsh punishments for those who didn’t follow the rules of the society or committed a sin or crime. As stated by (history.org), harsh punishments included whipping, gagging, or hanging the person that committed the sin. Some Puritans were even punished by being locked up in a …show more content…
They were people who focused on life relationships instead of religion, which was the primary focus in Puritan life. From the romance novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne, who is a born Puritan, had actions of that of a transcendentalist. Hester was an adulterer, but also an independent woman who had a great deal of courage. She would not share the information of who the father of her child was. Instead, she stated, “...my child must seek a heavenly Father; she shall never know an earthly one!” This shows Hester's self-reliance because she stands up for her beliefs. Although the scarlet letter "A" stood for adultery, Hester showed her courage by wearing the red stitching of the letter “A” proudly during her public shaming at the scaffold. Transcendentalist beliefs were contrary to that of a Puritan's belief. They wanted people to have the freedom of expression from the mistreatment of their religious views. If Hester Prynne had actions of that of a Puritan, she would not have been an adulterer and would have been submissive and obedient to her husband, Roger Chillingworth, instead of being an independent