First Quarter Blog 3

     Because the Puritan time period was before blacks lived in the colonies, there was very little, if any, African American literature during this time period. Therefore works of blacks were not yet recognized. Puritans also did not read the literature of other minority groups, such as women. The people belived that they were not good enough as men in things like writing, so they never acknowledged the writing of women. Women were in the domestic sphere, while men were apart of the public sphere. 
     So far, I have not found many connections between Puritanism and my research topic. But I have found themes that occur through the Puritan period that I also found in my first article that helped to create our first definition of American Literature. In Puritan writings discussed in class, I found the themes of daily life, which has to do with social and racial norms during the period. It is also evident in my article, which is during the Civil Rights Movement, that famous works of the period depicted life of groups of people in relation to other groups. 

First Quarter Blog 2

     In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays the Puritan society by the people's obsession with sin. Puritans believed in total depravity, which means that all people were born sinners, so Purtians maintained strict watch over themselves and the people around them. Many sins such as adultury were punishable by death. Hester was spared execution because the Puritans of Boston thought it would benefit the community to use her as a "living sermon against sin". Hawthorne portrays the oppresion and adherence to religious law that was so vital to their culture.
     In chapter 16, the Puritanism ideas of preserving the functional aspects of their society is shown. When Pearl makes the connection of her mother and Dimmesdale, it is understood that the people have not made this connection because they refuse to make what would seem to be an obvious set of connections between Hester's situation and the minister's mysterious torments. The refuse to see this because the people of Boston see the minister as an icon of purity, who would never commit this sin.