Effects of Puritan Society in The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter
Each society in the world is unique, and each has its own values and beliefs. Throughout time, societies have shaped the way that man lives. This includes not only his actions, but it also includes his thoughts and feelings. In many instances, such as in Puritan societies, religion plays the most important role. The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne are stories which vividly demonstrate the effect society has on people. The Puritan society that is created in each of these stories acts as the driving force to their plots.
In The Crucible, the entire plot is molded by the morals of the Puritan society. The superstition that many Puritans believed in is represented through Reverend Parris. He insists to Abigail that “if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it” (Miller 10).
Parris was not only concerned about the witches, but was terrified that his reputation will be ruined as well. This example also leads to another aspect of Puritan society that affected the plot. The Puritan people were very closely knit, meaning that everyone knew everyone else, and consequently, rumors spread quickly. This was why Reverend Parris needed to know “Who? Who? Their names, their names!” (Miller 44), so he could find someone to blame for the madness. The fear of witchcraft was so strong that even the decent Reverend John Hale, who was the most open minded of the characters, worried about its effect. He even had books in which there “…is all the invisible world, caught, defined, and calculated…the Devil stands stripped of all his brute disguises…we shall find him out if he has come among us…” (Miller 37).
The Essay on The Portrayal of Women and Their Position in Society in Miller’s the Crucible
From the very beginning, society has seen women as inheriting the character flaw of Eve’s original sin. Most people see women as lustful beings because of how Eve tempted Adam in the garden of Eden, meaning they were more susceptible to the Devil. Men target the females because of their views and the roles they play in a male dominated society. Men have a more opinionated view of a ...
Another attitude of Puritan society that shapes this play is the fear of God. This fear is seen everywhere and it goes hand in hand with the idea of superstition.
Reverend Hale tells Tituba, “You are God’s instrument…face God- face God, Tituba, and God will protect you” (Miller 44), exhibiting the great trust that the people hold in God and how their actions are all in the name of him. This story would not exist without the God-fearing mindset of the Puritan people. John Proctor is no exception to this theme. He has a moral dilemma in which he states, “…I wilted, and, like a Christian, I confessed. Confessed!…Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me, and judge me not!” (Miller 52).
Even though he did not seem like the most religious man in the story, he remains loyal to his strong morals because of the society around him. The Puritan society in The Crucible was what let the story make sense.
The Scarlet Letter is another story that relies on the values of the Puritans and their society. The idea of harsh punishment for sins was the broadest of these values. Hester Prynne was punished with public humiliation and “with only that one ornament, -the scarlet letter,- which it was her doom to wear” (Hawthorne 77).
The judicial system during the time of the Puritans was mainly based upon the fact that they were a God-fearing people. This meant that if a sin, such as Hester’s was committed, it would usually mean death. The story evolved around her being condemned for committing adultery and how, as a consequence, she lived a secluded lifestyle. This brings into effect another part of Puritan society, which is that most of the Puritans were strict and close-minded. As Hester and Pearl walked through the streets, they were both looked down upon:
The Essay on Hester In A Puritan Society
The Puritans, in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, were a group of people who were shaped by English experience and complete involvement in religion. The Puritan society molded itself and created a government based upon the Bible and implemented it with force. The crime of adultery committed by Hester generated rage, and was qualified for serious punishment according to Puritan beliefs. ...
The truth was, that the little Puritans, being of the most intolerant brood that ever lived, had got a vague idea of something outlandish, unearthly, or at variance with ordinary fashions, in the mother and child; and therefore scorned them in their hearts, and not unfrequently reviled them with there tongues. (Hawthorne 86)
This is in contrast to Reverend Dimmesdale, who was loved by all of the people in the town. “He had told his hearers that he was altogether vile, a viler companion of the vilest, the worst of sinners…” and they still “…did but reverence him the more” (Hawthorne 132).
This was because they thought he was trying to be modest in his sermon, when in reality, he was being truthful. All of the people were blinded by their thick faiths and trust in the clergy. In the end, the strong values of the Puritan society caused the demise of Reverend Dimmesdale as well as the end of the only true love in the story. The Scarlet Letter is another novel that utilizes Puritan society to mold its plot.
Society acts as the most indispensable part of the plots in both The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter. The two Puritan societies the reader will encounter in each are very much alike, showing how deeply religious the Puritans really were. Superstition and the strict ways of the people were the two factors that had the most effect. And this is why many unnecessary deaths and punishments occurred. Comparing the Puritan society to real life society, one can easily see just how much it can have an effect on people. Society can have either a positive or negative effect on people, but it will always have a lasting effect.
