In John Demos’ book A Little Commonwealth: Family Life in Plymouth Colony, the author breaks down the long standing conceptions of life in Plymouth Colony that it was a place filled with religious fanaticism and strict social order. As Demos argues, this was not entirely the case. Through his interpretations of surviving colonial records, Demos shows that the colonists were faced with common issues such as: adultery, divorce, murder and even domestic abuse. They also exhibited acts of selflessness such as caring for the destitute and the orphaned. Demos conveys these humanistic traits via a careful view, largely wills, courts cases, and other such legal documents. Only occasionally does he stray from objective to subjective statements as displayed
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Demos references him, for example, in terms of Robinson preachings on woman, whom he regarded relatively fairly, disparaging the perception of women as the “necessary evil” yet further preaching that women should be subordinate to their husbands (Demos 83). His view was that women needed to have “a reverend subjection” to their husbands, largely owing to their feminine nature, meaning that women were “a weaker vessel” (Demos 84). Demos uses Robinson’s writings as the basis for the values expressed in Plymouth marriage relations. Later, in the chapter regarding “infancy and childhood” Demos once more references the teachings of John Robinson, this time as to the nature of children, whom, in rearing “must, in the first place, be broken and beaten down” in order for their education to be firmly “in humidly and tractableness” due to their “stubbornness. and stoutness” (Demos 134-35). Demos uses these writings to reconstruct the mentality of the colonists since there is a lack of extant …show more content…
It is in these concluding chapters that his earlier historical objectivity is replaced with pure speculation. Chiefly, Demos relies heavily on the work of psychologist, Erik Erikson (in particular his “eight stages of man” model) to form a basis for charting the development of the colonists from infancy to old age (Demos 129). Although Demos early on claims that “problems arise… from the gaps in the available data” it is difficult, however, to describe with any certainty specific about development, especially from a colonist’s latter years, since, once more, there is little evidence as to how they developed from childhood to their later years (Demos 128-29). Lack of evidence aside, Demos states that using Erikson’s theory is further useful “since it recognizes quite explicitly the importance of historical process” (Demos 129). In the chapter on “Infancy and Childhood” for example, Demos says once more that Erikson’s theory is useful since it helps connect the gaps “between infant experience and Puritan character structure” (Demos 138). Demos writes in a very general sense about the life of an infant, that they were loved by the household, were likely indulged until they were six or seven years old, and relied heavily on the model of their parents, whom they were near caricatures of (in terms of
Demos references him, for example, in terms of Robinson preachings on woman, whom he regarded relatively fairly, disparaging the perception of women as the “necessary evil” yet further preaching that women should be subordinate to their husbands (Demos 83). His view was that women needed to have “a reverend subjection” to their husbands, largely owing to their feminine nature, meaning that women were “a weaker vessel” (Demos 84). Demos uses Robinson’s writings as the basis for the values expressed in Plymouth marriage relations. Later, in the chapter regarding “infancy and childhood” Demos once more references the teachings of John Robinson, this time as to the nature of children, whom, in rearing “must, in the first place, be broken and beaten down” in order for their education to be firmly “in humidly and tractableness” due to their “stubbornness. and stoutness” (Demos 134-35). Demos uses these writings to reconstruct the mentality of the colonists since there is a lack of extant …show more content…
It is in these concluding chapters that his earlier historical objectivity is replaced with pure speculation. Chiefly, Demos relies heavily on the work of psychologist, Erik Erikson (in particular his “eight stages of man” model) to form a basis for charting the development of the colonists from infancy to old age (Demos 129). Although Demos early on claims that “problems arise… from the gaps in the available data” it is difficult, however, to describe with any certainty specific about development, especially from a colonist’s latter years, since, once more, there is little evidence as to how they developed from childhood to their later years (Demos 128-29). Lack of evidence aside, Demos states that using Erikson’s theory is further useful “since it recognizes quite explicitly the importance of historical process” (Demos 129). In the chapter on “Infancy and Childhood” for example, Demos says once more that Erikson’s theory is useful since it helps connect the gaps “between infant experience and Puritan character structure” (Demos 138). Demos writes in a very general sense about the life of an infant, that they were loved by the household, were likely indulged until they were six or seven years old, and relied heavily on the model of their parents, whom they were near caricatures of (in terms of