Anglo-American Identity in Puritan Writing

Anglo-American Identity in Puritan Writing

Author Name : Bhanusree S. Kumar

ABSTRACT This article explores the complex relationship between Puritan settlers and the New England landscape during the years 1620-1640. Initially seeking refuge from English religious persecution, the settlers envisioned the New World as a sanctuary free from corrupt practices. However, their understanding of the Native American and the land was influenced by stereotypes, portraying it as both despicable and desirable.The Puritans grappled with the dichotomy of the New World as the barbaric 'Other' and a source of envy for its freedom from societal constraints. This perception extended to the landscape, seen as alluring yet repulsive, embodying the antithesis of civilization. Puritan writings, exemplified by Mary Rowlandson's captivity narrative, depicted the wilderness as a moral battleground, where one's faith was tested and renewed through trials.The settlers faced a moral dilemma in maintaining their cultural and religious purity while avoiding assimilation into Native American ways. The fear of degeneration prompted warnings against moral and cultural laxity. Some, like Rowlandson, resisted the consumption of Native American food and feared sexual assault, emphasizing the sanctity of their identity.Despite challenges, Puritan writings varied in depicting the New World. While some emphasized similarities and sought to anglicize the landscape, others viewed it as a 'transplantation,' a horticultural metaphor for nurturing Puritan ideals in a new, fertile land. This tension reflects the settlers' struggle to reconcile with a foreign land while preserving their religious and cultural integrity. New England became, simultaneously, a utopian space for spiritual advancement, a nostalgic reflection of England, and a frontier for expanding religious and national domains