The Physical and Mental State of Puritans - Essay Example

At the beginning of the war, the puritans waited to be called back to England but when the war ended, Oliver Cromwell who was the ruler ignored them. Puritans believed in the existence of witches in their society. This was because of European heritage. Puritan tradition confirmed that women who were witches and their involvement in witchcraft included sexual overtones. In Europe, churches condemned witchcraft, and witches were tried even the government tried witches. A few sexual aspects were noticed in Massachusetts. The cause of the whole crisis rested in the puritan fear that outsiders and other people with differing values and virtues would cause chaos.

            In this puritan society, the majority of people were men, which rendered family life unstable. Nevertheless, the society worked to ensure the survival of everybody in society; both men and women had their own work. The essence of work was to sustain the family. The puritans believed that human beings had a destiny just like Adam. There was absolutely nothing one could do about the destiny of the soul but try to behave according to societal norms (Karlsen 56-67). This kind of belief created a sense of hopelessness, especially among children and women who had no control over their lives.

            The majority of people who were puritans were uncertain about the future of their spiritual status. For instance, they claimed that life was long and painful, one had to adventure and reason, weighing his thoughts and carried out proper self-scrutiny for fear that sin would take his soul away when his guard was low. In addition, there was growing uncertainty about people’s salvation, which would eventually cause violence. For example, in Boston, a woman who has been in trouble with her mind concerning her spiritual estate grew into desperation and she could not endure hearing and comfort.

            Puritan people were ways fearful because of many reasons. For instance, Indian attacks, smallpox, or any illness could lead to death. It seemed absurd that the puritans were haunted by the fear of damnation and death. In the new world, the puritans made a covenant with God to live according to his wish and will in exchange for divine power and protection from death. They believed that since they were God's people, Satan would be more determined to destroy them. People felt that it was their role to keep themselves away from sins so that they would get blessings from God. Prosperity and health were seen as blessings from God while crop failure, illness, and death all depicted signs of bad lack. Puritans were determined to end sins in society because of fear of predestination. Everybody in society was suspicious of one another because of a lack of determination.

            The puritans were too religious but still, they could find signs of God's displeasure towards them. In addition, a woman was required to have a total submission to her husband and father’s instructions. This was based on grounds that he was head of the house and superior therefore, she owed him respect, and he exercised authority on behalf of God. Most women in puritan society were physically weaker than men; it was presumed that they lacked enough intellectual exercise. In addition, women in New England were thought to be morally weaker than their male counterparts because women were more evil by nature than men (Hill 34). 

            Society was not equal in that there existed the rich and the poor. Those who came from poor families had a poor diet and received low-quality education as compared to the rich. The rich got all the privileges. For instance, they had a good and balanced diet, and more so, they continued to exercise authority over the poor.

            Gender roles in this society were evident in that women were accorded roles of sewing, taking care of domestic animals, and other necessities, men, on the other hand, were busy repairing tools, hunting harvesting, building houses, and guarding their families against whatever threat from Indian people to wild animals. It is true to claim that in the new world, there existed traditional attitudes about the true roles and status of women. Women were seen as weaker objects not strong mentally and physically like their male counterparts who were emotionally stable. Because of this, traditional virtues were held against women, they were not allowed to hold any legal office or participate in legal matters since their place was limited to the home (Mather 48).

            In New England, nobody was expected to question the authority of the church and everybody in society was a member of the church. On the political front, the clergy was in full control of the political realm. Breaking away from the church was seen as an act of treason by the government. Records show that the Puritans used punishments to push away people of other denominations such as the Quakers out of their community. Puritan religion was a very intricate, highly intellectual, and subtle affair and its leaders were professionals whose education resulted in authoritarian rule. The Puritan minister had a greater moral and spiritual implication on people across New England. The clergy and other religious people used their positions to condemn sins and instill discipline in people in that minor offenses could result in punishment. Puritans were very suspicious and demanding before the Salem trials. Immediately after the trials, their hearts began to soften.