The Way of Duty, Research Paper Example

Child of the Puritans

Joseph Fish was a young Harvard graduate of 1728 who spent a few years as an itinerant preacher that turned permanent after the Reverend Ebenezer Russell died. On December 6, 1732 he became the husband of Rebecca Pabodie of Rhode Island. Mary was raised with extremely strong Puritan values. Her parents Joseph and Rebecca fish used standards of which to raise her based on the Old Plymouth Colony. Those standards included staying strong to her beliefs as well as being studious and humble.

A choice of husband was of great concern to the family because the family wanted the bride to find a husband that was compatible with the same Puritan values so that they would have a loving and fulfilling marriage similar to their marriage. The union of marriage was sacred in those times especially in spirit and religion. Mary and Rebecca made for formal profession of faith before commencing marriage because it is considered a holy element of worship and they both have strong ties to their religion. Further, the profession was to rid them of their sins to commence a pure life with their husbands and profess the strength of their faith.

After John’s death Mary turned to John’s mother for strength however was found dead shortly a time after and Mary was forced to take on the responsibilities of the entire household and family. John’s mother was very supportive for some time but she was not of the best health but she was Mary’s rock to lean on. Her assistance was only for a short time until John’s mother died then she was all alone to fend for herself physically and emotionally Mary’s four year old daughter passed away and as a result of her child’s passing Mary went into a depression and began to doubt her faith in God for the very first time. All of her values that had been instilled in her so many years began to dissipate.  Mary felt she had died with her child and so did her faith in the world. In September 1771 the depression began to lift and Mary felt alive again and began to profess her faith in the Lord again. Time had passed since the death of her child and she had re-examined her faith and was ready to live again. You might say she had a reawakening of her faith.  .

Revolution

There was a fear of the outbreak of war with Great Britain. Much controversy and turmoil was amongst Mary. Mary oversaw attempts by chairing meetings at her home to stop the importation of British commodities such as tea. This was a huge sacrifice for she and her family were quite fond of tea.  With all of the trials and tribulations of the fear of war the family life still received the most of the attention. Mary’s second husband was in his early forties with one child and a suitable man to Mary. She confided in her parent’s that she did not particularly love him at present but he was her choice because of his fine qualities.

The war was devolution of a person’s human rights to Mary and caused much chaos to the family unit. Mary further felt the pressures of the strain of raising a family during the Revolution. The line between friends and enemies were frequently blurred because the British Revolution represented the byzantine nature of the conflict. As the power increased on one side the streets were filled with blood and tyranny serving no obvious purpose. Silliman’s role as state attorney caused much prejudice and political frenzy because of his position in the war. Silliman was kidnapped because of the power he possessed and the revolutionary symbolism of his position as state attorney which posed a threat to the opposition. Society class is the cause of consequence and Silliman’s class status represented the class of the British-American culture clash.

The New Age

Silliman was viewed as the opposition upon his release and waging war was non-conforming to the social society. His respected past has gone astray. As a result of being labelled an outcast politically and socially he suffered professional and financial losses. His character was depleted and his honour was stripped from him. He was not going to fade away though. Silliman was a fighter by nature.  Mary became more independent after Sillman’s death. The lives of Mary and her children reflected social changes from the previous century because they lived a restricted and traditional lifestyle.

John William’s return from captivity in The Unredeemed Captive depicts a man who being in captivity wanted desperately to return to his Puritan life and did so amazingly. However Eunice became adjusted to the Indian culture and did not want to leave and go back to her roots because he had mentally become engraved with a new lifestyle. Great Awakening and the War for Independence were based on the concept that the British forced one religion on the people and the people rebelled and refused to practise. They took a different perspective than in The Unredeemed Captive. As Mary’s life became more independent after Silliman’s death she also struggled more financially. Mary, Benjamin and John Noyes continued to live traditional Puritan lifestyles even after the Revolution.

The British-American Revolution was a true test to the values of many Puritans and other religious characters of that time. There was a constant separation of political and social power existent and principles were often compromised. This book represents the struggle that families had to withstand to survive. “A new spiritual awakening came when the Wesley Brothers and people like George Whitefield crossed over to the American colonies in the first half of the 1800’s.” (The Great Awakening 2006).

Works Cited

The Great Awakening (2006) Retrieved October 30, 2009 from,  http://www.great-awakening.com/concepts.htm