Passage From the Text
" But we perhaps exaggerate the gray or sable tinge, which undoubtedly characterized the mood and manners of the age. The persons now in the market-place of Boston had not been born to an inheritance of Puritanic gloom. They were native Englishmen, whose fathers had loved in the sunny richness of the Elizabethan epoch; a time when the life of England, viewed as one great mass, would appear to have been as stately, magnificent, and joyous, as the world has ever witnessed. Had they followed their hereditary taste, the New England settlers would have illustrated all events of public importance by bonfires, banquets, pageantry, and processions."
Response to the Text
2) The setting in this part in the novel gives the assumption that the Puritans have somewhat devolved from their ancestors back in England. What is ironic about this portion of the reading is that it makes perfect sense to those not well versed in English history; however, the true course of English history tells a completely different story. This stretching of the truth that Hawthorne does is intentional, and is done in order to better serve his purpose of educating the reader in the evils of the Puritanic society. Firstly, Hawthorne's use of the word sunny with reference to England sounds silly no matter what context it is used in. The climate of the United States in New England is much fairer than that of old England, where rain is more common than the sun. The main stretch of the truth that Hawthorne employs is that of referencing the Elizabethan period in England. It is true that this period was a marvelous time for England, but if the characters in the story are the sons and daughters of their Elizabethan parents, a very different England awaits them across the Atlantic. 7) The beloved Queen Elizabeth dying without an heir meant that the English monarchy switched from Elizabeth's Tudor Dynasty to the Stuart Dynasty and the new King James I. Hawthorne fails to mention that the current King of England is one of the most hated of all time as he was foreign to England in nationality and in religion. Life in England was not good during this time period, especially for protestants as James attempted to bring England back to the Catholic faith. In all honestly, the Puritans could probably host more rowdy and joyous parties in Boston than could be held in London at the time. Hawthorne effectively stretches the truth without lying to serve the purpose of his book and trick those not well versed in European history.