How Anne Bradstreet confronts puritan view of gender
The Puritans were a group of Protestants in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They were reformed Protestants who wanted to purify the church from its Catholic practices. They maintained that the Church of England was partially reformed. The puritans believed in the differentiation of roles for both men and women. Men were considered superior by puritan women. They were the ones to be elected as community leaders and ministers. In case of any decisions, men were the only one supposed to vote. It was wrong for a woman to sue in court, only men had such privileges. This means that married women were unable to file for divorce. Culturally, women were considered close to objects. Male
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It describes the unconditional love that Anne had for her husband. The puritans valued marriage and by writing this poem, Bradstreet is seen as having a similar view. She begins by showing the bond that existed between them and describes themselves as one. Bradstreet writes, “If ever two were one, then surely we; / If ever man were loved by wife, then thee” (1-2). This symbolism shows their togetherness because one is used to show when things are added up together. She describes herself as the happiest wife ever in a loving tone and then sarcastically challenges his husband to compare her with any other woman if possible. In the fifth line, Bradstreet writes, “I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, / or all the riches that the East doth hold” (5-6). She metaphorically compares her love to mines of gold or all the riches that are in the east. She is very affectionate when she says that rivers cannot quench her thirst. As the poem continues, Bradstreet indicates that being righteous in love meant getting rewarded in heaven. Just like the Puritans viewed marriage as Godly, Anne showed that having a good marriage promised salvation. To her, being blessed with love meant personal salvation. In her last line in the poem, she says that the love that exists in their marriage will still continue even after death. She had a guarantee that she and her husband were blessed and chosen by