Corinne Cifuentes #8 Pd. 3 10-24-00 English Essay Puritans are pure and sinful, they are religious yet witchcraft is upon them. The Puritan Society is not as perfect as it seems, do not be fooled by the title of a "puritan"ÃÂ. In The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, characters Arthur Dimmesdale and John Proctor live in a Puritan Society where everyone must be pure, honest and obey the rules and laws. Both Dimmesdale and Proctor are committed of adultery their roles are similar and can be comparable and contrasted.
Arthur Dimmesdale and John Proctor had good strong names in their society and were looked up upon as good hard working puritan men. Dimmesdale and Proctor abided by puritan lifestyle and laws. Arthur Dimmesdale was a reverend and had power amongst the community. Proctor however was not in any high power in his community, he was just another farmer but with a good name.
Proctor, Vermont
Proctor, Vermont
Proctor, VermontBoth Dimmesdale and Proctor broke laws against the Puritans. Condemned for committing adultery, which is another example of the not so perfect puritans. Although Arthur Dimmesdale was not married he did indeed sleep with a women who was married and both without being wed. John Proctor on the other hand had a beautiful wife who was cold towards him at times, and he too committed adultery with their young servant.
Through and through both men tragically died for their sins with remorse. The guilt eating them up, loved ones being hurt from the cause of the sinful truth. Arthur Dimmesdale died on the scaffold in front of the people of his church. While John Proctor was hung in front of the puritan society. Both good men in heart were tempted with fire, and sooner or later jumped in that fire, which consumed their lives.
The lives of Puritans were pure, religious, and said to be cleansed with the blood of God. But not all could abide by the rules and laws of puritan society. For Arthur Dimmesdale and John Proctor were only human. Both characters had many comparisons and contrasting points essential to Puritan life linked with sin.
Proctor, Vermont
Proctor, Vermont
Proctor, Vermont
Puritans
The fundamental flaw of this essay is that it accepts Arthur Dimmesdale and John Proctor as actual Puritans. Dimmesdale is a character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," written almost two centuries after the fact. Proctor is a character in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," written some three centuries after the fact, and rather covertly directed at the problem of McCarthyism in the modern United States. While there is a certain verisimilitude to both of these works, the notion that they are accurate portrayals of Puritan society and culture is a significant leap of logic. I would be much more impressed if this writer mentioned some true Puritan figures such as Cotton Mather, Increase Mather, Anne Bradstreet, or Jonathan Edwards.
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