Puritanism And Its Negative Portrayal Of The Body

Puritanism: Resisting The Body’s Temptations Puritanism has been a strong influence on American Literature and it still is to this day. Puritans have shaped our culture immensely with their art that represents their beliefs so clearly. One of the most fascinating things we have come to learn about the Puritans is the constant battle they faced each day. Puritans struggled to stay true to their religion due to everyday temptations. One of the biggest temptations would be The Body. We can identify this by analyzing Puritanism philosophies, their biblical view of the Body, how they were able to resist this urge, and also their literary work. A work from Puritan times that allows us to further explore this idea would be â€Å"The Flesh and the Spirit† by Anne Bradstreet. In Bradstreet’s writing we are able to see how The Body’s immense power over Puritans was a constant threat. This paper will analyze Puritanism and its negative portrayal of The Body. Understanding Puritanism First and foremost, Puritanism was first formed in the late sixteenth century in the Church of England due to a majority of the citizens disagreeing with the church’s practice. Once James I became king of England in 1603, he rejected most of the Puritan’s proposals and this led to the Puritans becoming highly repressed (Kang 1). Unlike the pilgrims, Puritans did not wish to separate from the church. Essentially, the Puritans desired to purify their national church by eliminating every shred of Catholic