The Scarlet Letter Prelude By Abhishek Rajput

Historical Facts: Puritan Religion Puritanism was a 16th and 17th century movement that sought to purify the Church of England, whom they felt was too similar to the Catholic Church the English broke away from. Part of the larger movement in Europe called the "Reformation." It was literally a time of reformation within Christianity and the Church. Puritanism incorporated elements of Calvinist doctrine, originally founded by John Calvin, and ideas on the nature of the Church polity.

Puritan Religious Beliefs Puritans believed in the doctrine of predestination, which stated that some souls called the "elect" had been destined for eternal bliss and others for eternal torment. They also believed in conversion, which was an intense personal experience in which God revealed to the elect their heavenly destiny. Puritanism incorporated elements of Calvinist doctrine, originally founded by John Calvin, and ideas on the nature of the Church polity.

Puritan Society The Puritan church had a monopoly like status in the interpretation of doctrine Men and women avoided bright colors, shiny fabrics, and over-ornamentation. Any gathering of people without permission was banned. Puritans did not actually dress in the black and white colors we commonly depict them as wearing. Black dye was expensive in those times and faded rather quickly. Black and white were worn only on special occasions and worn by the elder and the high-ranking in the community. The most typical colors worn were brown, brownish-maroon, dull-greens, and tawny colors.

Puritan Society (cont.) Names of women in the Massachusetts Bay Colony reflected Puritan views on women. Some women names were "Be Fruitful," "Patience," "Silence," "Fear," "Comfort," and "Prudence.“ Fornication was to be punished by whipping or death. The Puritan colonies in the New England area banned the practice of Christmas and drama (plays). A husband could not legally command his wife anything contrary to "God's" word.

Puritan Society (cont.) Churches in the Puritan colonies were sometimes patrolled by a man with a long pole. One end of the pole had feathers to tickle the old men who fell asleep, in order to wake them up. The other end sported a wooden knob that alerted giggling or sleeping children.

Superstitions A woman was considered inferior to man because of "original sin" It was believed that a child not taught to read would become "barbarous." Therefore, literacy was enforced. They were inclined to blame Satan for their religious and societal decay. It was believed that women who were pregnant with a male child had a rosy complexion, while women bearing a female child had a pale complexion.

Superstitions (cont.) Puritans believed in witches and the harm they could do. They defined witchcraft as entering into a compact with the Devil in exchange for certain powers to do evil.

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