Letter To His Father And Mother Analysis

Both “Letter To His Father And Mother” and “Letter to Michael Willingsworth” illuminates important social economic and cultural differences in Puritan and Massachusetts society. “Letter to His Father And Mother” highlights the separation that one feels from the rest of society due to the plantations being far apart and the consequences of such actions, with not as much emphasis placed on societal benefits or rules. Instead, a heavier emphasis is placed on personal profits, with the poor and powerless being given the bare minimum in order to survive. In contrast, Puritans developed a communal rather than individualistic nature, with social standing in Puritan society being based off of religious beliefs. Citizens in puritan society are expected …show more content…
Due to the “nighest help” being over “10 miles apart”, the citizens of the Massachusetts colony functioned as an independent unit that had multilayered hierarchy. Colonists were fueled only through selfish motives, with social classes being based upon on personal profits and wealth. This wealth based hierarchy is shown through colonists treatment of the poor, many of whom were from Europe and willing to be shipped as indentured slaves to the new world. Lack of monetary and social stature exposed them to not only poverty but to disease and death. Richard Frethorne's account reveals how indentured servants were given the bare minimum in order to survive, with no consideration being placed towards their well being. Servants were constantly surrounded by “sickness and death” and little food for an entire day’s labor. Moreover, due to colonists individualistic ideals, no resources were given to the society for self defence, leaving plantations open to natives to attack. As a result, plantations became “very weak by reason of death and sickness” and many of the indentured servants and leaders in the plantations were killed due to attack. From this heavy emphasis on personal gain, one can conclude that the colonists valued individual growth over the growth of the society as a …show more content…
Although these two colonies lived during a relatively similar time period, each developed different attributes and goals due to what brought them to the colony in the first place. Due to the Puritans migration to America being caused by the need for a formation of an ideal community of christians, the colonists prioritize christian beliefs and attitudes over external values such a money. In contrast, the Virginia colonists main goal in moving the America was to acquire wealth easily, which eventually led them to having a more individualistic colony, with a social hierarchy based off of wealth rather than faith. Through these two colonies, one can see the effect that purpose can have on a colony over