Puritan Misogyny Analysis
In the late 17th century, the Salem Witch trials posed a great threat to the women of New England. Should a woman behave strangely in the slightest way, or say something vaguely implicative, or display signs of resistance towards her submissive nature towards men, she was suspected of witchcraft. According to the author, Carol Karlsen, the craze of the Salem Witch trials was brought about by an underlying sense of misogyny within the Puritan faith.
The relationships within the Puritans’ ideal family unit were a parallel to God’s relationship to His creations; the head of the household, the man, ruled over the family and governed his subjects, his wife, children, and servants, just as God governed his own subjects. In effect, this analogy …show more content…
The Puritans’ version of the story closely resembled the traditional Christian version in the main story and general outline, but differed from the latter in its elaboration and analysis. While the actions of Adam and Eve remained consistent between both tales, the motives behind Eve’s actions were described in more detail within the Puritans’ story. According to Puritan beliefs, it was Eve’s sensuality and pride that led to the downfall of both mankind and womankind. She had a lust for knowledge, and, in extension, she challenged God’s authority. She also diverged from the conventional role of women and, instead of being subservient to Adam and helping him stay true to the path and the commands God set forth for him, she seduced him into eating the forbidden fruit, and thus damned not just herself, but the unwitting Adam as well. Depicted as a sinful temptress who refused to serve Adam, Eve became the paradigm of witches in Puritan views. Consequently, not only women in New England who showed traits similar to those expressed by Eve, such as those who refused to act subserviently to men and those who seduced men, were considered witches and tried for witchcraft, but also womankind in general was held under suspicion of consorting with the Devil, for Eve herself was a female. This notion of all women being susceptible to witchcraft exemplified the Puritans’
The relationships within the Puritans’ ideal family unit were a parallel to God’s relationship to His creations; the head of the household, the man, ruled over the family and governed his subjects, his wife, children, and servants, just as God governed his own subjects. In effect, this analogy …show more content…
The Puritans’ version of the story closely resembled the traditional Christian version in the main story and general outline, but differed from the latter in its elaboration and analysis. While the actions of Adam and Eve remained consistent between both tales, the motives behind Eve’s actions were described in more detail within the Puritans’ story. According to Puritan beliefs, it was Eve’s sensuality and pride that led to the downfall of both mankind and womankind. She had a lust for knowledge, and, in extension, she challenged God’s authority. She also diverged from the conventional role of women and, instead of being subservient to Adam and helping him stay true to the path and the commands God set forth for him, she seduced him into eating the forbidden fruit, and thus damned not just herself, but the unwitting Adam as well. Depicted as a sinful temptress who refused to serve Adam, Eve became the paradigm of witches in Puritan views. Consequently, not only women in New England who showed traits similar to those expressed by Eve, such as those who refused to act subserviently to men and those who seduced men, were considered witches and tried for witchcraft, but also womankind in general was held under suspicion of consorting with the Devil, for Eve herself was a female. This notion of all women being susceptible to witchcraft exemplified the Puritans’