In Bradford’s narrative account on the Puritans and their settlement of New England, selflessness is prevalent throughout the beginning, however, crumbles towards the end. They journeyed across dangerous water to a relatively unknown land in order to worship God in a way they thought was more holy and less sinful then the people of England. Their reasons for traveling were regarded by Bradford as pure: “True it was that such attempts were not to be made and undertaken without good ground and reason, not rashly or lightly as many have done for curiosity or hope of gain, etc.” Here, Bradford is saying that the risk is understood and that it is solely being done in the name of God, not for personal gain or power.
However, upon arriving Bradford had a tone of betterment in regards to his new surroundings and the people that occupied it: “Besides, what could they see but hideous and desolate wilderness full of wild beast and wild men and what multitudes there might be of them they knew not.” This could be seen through the lens that he saw religious impurity throughout the land that was overwhelming. However, it also could be viewed as it being an environment that he simply felt above of; not even acknowledging the land and people in it as Gods creation worth honoring and not looking down upon.
As time progressed and New England encountered success, there were moments of clear rhetorical excess that can be hypocritical in terms of what the Puritans stand for; especially at the end of the narrative. For example, in order to increase their stocks, the Puritan community began to scatter and spread out, not for the betterment of religious practice, but rather so that individuals could have more supplies. Bradford acknowledges this problem and offers to fix it with more material things: “To prevent any further scattering from this place and weakening of the same. It was thought best to give out some good farms to special persons that would promise to live at Plymouth, and likely be helpful to the church.” Moments such as this, where the Puritans shift their focus from God towards material things, function as the downfall in the community.
Do you think that the Puritans made their move to New England solely for religious freedom? Or do you think some had hidden aspirations of economical gain on the newly occupied land?
This was a difficult question–asking you to draw out moments that seemed to go beyond the plain and simple prose Bradford promises up front. Literatures of contact and exploration as so often fraught with rhetorical excesses that it seems hard to avoid, and I was curious if you found moments where there was a sort of breach. I thought that when Bradford describes the autumn with a “weatherbeaten face, and the whole country, full of woods and thickets, represented a wild and savage hue” his prose takes on a level of artfulness that might belie his simpler intentions. I’m always interested to note those ways in which the Puritans broke through the tight religious and cultural script they wrote for themselves. We’ll talk more about this next class.