American Literature

Think about the three readings for this week -- readings from
three different viewpoints: Pilgrim (William Bradford),
Anglican (Thomas Morton), and Puritan (John Winthrop).
How do these three perspectives support or contradict your
vision of the founding of America?

Pilgrims
o Separatists. Came to escape persecution and for religious freedom.
Anglicans
o Seemed to come mostly for industry and trade.
Puritans
o Came to spread their religion.

A Comparison of Pilgrims,
Anglicans, and Puritans

Perspectives Support My Vision

No particular society solely founded America;
hence, the country is a melting pot of many
diverse cultures and peoples. Even today, one
can see traces of different traditions from unique
lands. Look at city names, for example. One will
see names such as Canterbury, Cornwall,
Sussex, and Windsor. All of those towns and
cities were obviously heavily influenced by
English culture. Examples of French and
Spanish town names include Baton Rouge,
Lafayette, Boca Raton, and Santa Fe. Similarly,
the selections from the Pilgrim, Puritan, and
Anglican perspective support the melding of
cultures that I believe forms the backbone of
American diversity.

The American spirit is a combination of the

attitudes and beliefs of Americas founders.
Trusting in God to sustain them, and with a
strong survivalist ethic, the Pilgrims sought a
new beginning, free from religious tyranny.
What could now sustain them but the spirit of
God and his grace? wrote William Bradford in
Of Plymouth Plantation. Also survivors, the
Puritans set themselves apart as self-sufficient
builders of a new society. In fact, they sought to
figuratively and literally build a City upon a
hill, as noted in John Winthrops A Model of
Christian Charity. The Anglicans, on the other
hand, were much more business-minded. Their
intent to profit commercially often conflicted
with the Pilgrims independent and selfsustaining way of life. In Thomas Mortons
description in New English Canaan of one
such conflict, he asserted that the Pilgrims
wanted to be rid of upon any terms their
Anglican neighbors. As evidenced by the

Anglicans competitive and commerce-based

nature, the self-sustaining Pilgrims, and the
independent spirit of the Puritans, America is
truly a mosaic made stronger by the various
cultures who founded it.

Puritan Literature
A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of
Mrs. Mary Rowlandson was a best seller
because it was entertaining, suspenseful,
thrilling, and very well written. Through
Rowlandsons vivid diction, a reader could
easily become absorbed in the story, feeling as
though he were actually there. She carries the
reader through her adventures, describing in
graphic detail each leg of the journey. Unlike
pure fiction, this chronicle did not come from
someones imagination, which made it even
more gripping. Who doesnt want to read a good
adventure tale?
This Indians described in Rowlandsons
narrative were savage, evil animals. She
variously referred to them as bloody Heathen,
Infidels, and black creatures. Describing a
ceremony as a lively resemblance of hell, she
clearly believed the Indians were minions of
Satan. As she detailed her captivity in
painstaking imagery, she affirmed the general
Puritan view of Native Americans as savages.

Puritan beliefs permeate Rowlandsons

narrative. The Lord hereby would make us the
more to acknowledge his hand, and to see that
our help is always in him, was the theme of her
work. As she journeyed with the Indians,
throughout all her travails, she continued to
believe that Gods purpose was to convince her
of his omnipotence. Another belief displayed
was that of Gods goodness. Even after losing
her young child, Rowlandson wrote, I have
thought since of the wonderfull [sic] goodness of
God to me, in preserving me in the use of my
reason and senses. Given the theme of
deliverance by a merciful, all-powerful God, the
narrative was very definitely a Puritan work of
literature.
Rowlandsons unshakable faith in God, even in
the midst of horror and extreme circumstances,
was ultimately what brought her home. She
considered killing herself after her little child
died, but credited God that she then did not use
wicked and violent means to end my own
miserable life. Again and again, she was
brought back from the brink of despair, as she
recounted comforting Scriptures throughout her
time of captivity. Had she lost faith, she
undoubtedly would have lost her life, most
likely by ending it herself. Instead she kept her
eyes fixed on God, and made it back home to
what was left of her family.

Submitted by Mical Teshay