American-Puritanism

1PuritanismHistoricalIntroduction1492ChristopherColumbuswhosailedwestinsearchoftheeastIndiesfoundtheNewWorldimmigrants:Dutch,Swedes,Germans,French,Spaniards,ItaliansandPortugueseEnglishimmigrants①thefirstsettlingoftheEnglishpeopleinJamestown,Virginiain1607②thesecondgroupcame,withMayflowerdroppinganchoratPlymouthharborin1620.In1776,theDeclarationofIndependencewassigned,togetherwiththreeotherdocuments,thetreatyofalliancewithFrance,theTreatyofParisandtheConstitution,whichlegallymarkedtheUnitedStatesasanindependentnation.In1789GeorgeWashingtonwaselectedthefirstpresident,andtwoyearslater,WashingtonD.C.wasestablishedasthenation'scapital.AmericanPuritanismMostoftheearlysettlerswerePuritans,agroupofserious,religiouspeoplewhoadvocatedstrictreligiousandmoralprinciples.ThePuritanswereoriginallymembersofadivisionoftheProtestantChurch(新教).TheywantedtopurifytheEnglishChurchandtorestorechurchworshiptothepureandunspottedconditionofitsearlierdays.TheyopposedtheelaborateritualsoftheEnglishChurch.TheybelievedthattheBiblewastherevealedwordofGod.Therefore,peopleshouldguidetheirdailybehaviorwiththeBible.OriginofPuritanismfollowtheideaofaSwissreformerJohnCalvindoctrines：a.predestinationb.originalsinandtotaldepravityc.limitedatonementvalues:hardwork,thrift,piety,sobrietyAmericanPuritanism“Puritanismhadspokenforthepreeminenceoftheindividual,forfreedomfromoppressivegovernments,andforthevalueoflearningandeducation.ItledAmericanstoexaminetheirbeliefs,theirworld,andeachother.Itgaveordinarymenandwomenasenseofpurpose.Itencouragedthemtoscrutinizeissuesinreligionandingovernmentandtospeakout.IthelpedtocreateinAmericansasenseofdutytotheirGod,theirnation,andtheirfellowmen.Ittaughtmenandwomentolabortobegoodandtojudgeothersbytheirlives,notbytheirbirth.Atitsheight,PuritanismservedasthedominantforceinthecreatingofAmericanliterature.”(McMichael,ed.AAL,11-12)AmericanPuritanismAmericanPuritanismisatwo-foldculturalheritage,onebeingreligiousandtheotherpractical.Puritanswerethereforecalledpracticalidealistordoctrinaireopportunist.Ontheonehand,Puritanismisahighlystrictreligiousdoctrine.Ontheotherhand,Puritanismalsohasitspracticalaspect.ThePuritansweredeterminedtofindaplaceonthenewcontinentwheretheycouldworshipGodinthewaytheythoughttrueChristiansshould.Whentheyarrivedonthecontinent,theysawvirginland,virginforests,vastexpansesofwilderness,andthereforebelievedthattheyweresentbyGodforadefinitepurpose.ContendingthatthereisonlyoneGodwhoruleseverythingontheearth,thesePuritansthoughttheyweretheselectedfew,chosenbyGodtoreestablishaCommonwealthbasedontheteachingsoftheBible,torestorethelostparadiseandtobuildthewildernessintoanewGardenofEden.2ThereforethejourneytotheNewWorldwasnotjustamigration.ItwasanewExodus,ordainedbyGodandforetoldintheBible,justastheBiblepromisedthecreationofaNewJerusalem,inAmerica.(McMichael,ed.AAL,8)WhenthePuritansfirstlandedonthecontinent,whattheywerefacedwithwaswilderness—noshelter,nofoodandnoclothes.Theirstruggleforsurvivalandthemovementofpushingthefrontierwiththemastheymovedfurtherandfurtherwestwardmadethemmoreandmorepreoccupiedwithbusinessandprofits.Theyhadtoworkhardinordertomakealivingandbereadyforanymisfortunesandtragicfailuresthatmightlieinwaitforthem.TheimpactofPuritanismonAmericanliterature1.Americanliterature,inasense,isaliteraryexpressionofthepiousidealismofthePuritanrequest.ThePuritansdreamedoflivingunderaperfectorderandworkedwithhopeandcouragetowardbuildinganewGardenofEden.Therefore,theytendedtolookeverythingwithabigamountofoptimism.ThiswentintotheworksofEmerson,Thoreau,Whitman,andevenJames.Nowonderthereappearedamoodoffrustrationordespairinlaterperiods,becauseastheoldsayinggoes,alwaysatthelatterendofwealstandswoe.Whenthedreamdidnotmaterialize,whenaGildedAgecameinsteadoftheGoldenonetheydreamedof,howcouldanyonefeel?2.ThePuritans'metaphoricalmodeofperceptionbroughtAmericanliterarysymbolismintobeing.TothepiousPuritans,thephysicalworldwasspiritual,nothingbutasymbolofGod.Theworld,therefore,wasoneofmultiplemeanings.ThisideawasdistinguishableintheworksofsuchearlywritersasWilliamBradford,CottonMather,JonathanEdwardsandEmerson.IntheworksofHawthorne,MelvilleandPoe,thisdevelopeditselfintosymbolism.3.ThePuritanstyleofwritingischaracterizedbysimplicity.ThePuritanshavebeenabhorredfortheirausterityandrigidityinmattersoftaste.Theyformedadistasteforartandforanymanifestationsofsensualbeauty;therefore,thestyleoftheirwritingwasfresh,simpleanddirest,therhetoricplainandhonest,wordssimpleandspare(notfancy).Theuseofmetaphorswasonlytoexplaintheiropinionsratherthantodecorate.Theywrotenon-fictionalproseinsteadofnovels.Theyweregoodatwritinghistory,too,andbiographywasonceapopularformofliterature.LiterarySceneAlmostallliteraturescomefromhumbleorigins—diaries,journals,letters,sermons,travelbooks,etc.SodidAmericanliterature.IntheColonialPeriod,personalliteratureoccupiedamajorpositionintheliteraryscene.Incontent,theyservedeitherGodortheexpansionorboth.Inform,theyweremainlytheimitationsoftheEnglishtradition.ImportantwritersinthisperiodAnneBradst