The movie The Witch was not only a thrilling tale about a puritan family, but also gave key insight into the life and values of early American puritan settlers. The movie starts by showing us a puritan family being banished from the local group due to differing religious interpretations. After the family is banished, they decide to create their own homestead were everything at first appears to be going well. However, as the eldest daughter in the family is playing with the newest born son, he is taken away. The family blames his disappearance on a wolf, but the true reason for his disappearance is because a witch living in the nearby woods kidnapped him and used him in a ritual. This ritual makes the witch young so she can later in the movie capture the eldest boy in the family and just like the youngest son, kill him. The tragedies this family experience show us key values about American puritanism in the early days of American settlement. The family as a whole is heavily religious and the reaction to these horrible events the family experiences is intense prayer and the consistent acknowledgment and guilt for the original sin they are born with. The importance of religion in their lives was clearly a part of early American life and the dedication to avoiding sin was prominent as well. One of the most interesting aspects of the movie in relation to the lives of early American settlers was the fact that the family was excluded from the local group due to a religious difference. Since most of these settlers left Europe to escape religious persecution it is interesting to see that there are still consequences in America for not conforming to the typical religious views. The relation between religion and identity is then interesting to look at in early America. Since we are reading Who are We? we have learned that religion can often play a role in both individual and group identities. Clearly religion was intricate to group identities in early America, is religion still a part of American identity? How can religious persecution be explained in a society that was meant to avoid this? Lastly, how did intense religious beliefs shape the lives and decision of early American settlers?
3 replies on “The Witch”
Religion is rapidly decreasing in importance in regards to American identity. At the onset of colonization with groups like the Puritans, religion was of paramount importance in the everyday lives of settlers. As some time went on, its significance was still stressed throughout the foundation of the United States, where Christian concepts were ingrained in the very founding documents of the nation. As history continued, the concept of the “Protestant work ethic” became a stereotype in American society and religion still played a noticeable role. More recently, however, with the diversification of religion in the United States, religious ideals are becoming less and less prevalent in society. These faded religious beliefs are very different than the intense, extremist views of early colonists, but nonetheless continue to impact the lives of Americans on a daily basis. Do you think this shift away from religion is a positive for the United States? Or is its fading importance taking away from the original ideals on which this nation was founded?
We are experiencing constant change in America and sometimes that is good and bad. In regards to religion, I think it is a useful tool to life but it doesn’t apply to everyone. For example, I, myself, am not that religious even though I went to an Episcopalian high school. I don’t believe it should be enforced like it was in the 17th Century but it can helpful for people who are lost and troubled. So, it depends on who are you and how you were grown up if you need religion, and I think the majority of Americans can do well without life being pushed and centered around religion.
As religious values are decreasing in the United States, the country is still affected as it laid a foundation for the country and its government as well as still has a great effect on many political values today. Overall the United States’ freedom was motivated by a need for freedom of religion. (Although we do see in The Witch that this freedom was not provided to these early Puritan American Settlers as their values caused them to be expelled.) In addition, as Michael mentioned, the documents that are at the foundation of our country still define many aspects of our society. But, as we question how decreasing religion impacts our country, we must recognize how religion does shape many modern political parties and beliefs within this. For example, the anti-abortion movement has been one of the many aspects that shape American Politics for the past several years. It has many supporters who base their opinions off of their faith as well as morals that some could consider stem from their faith.