Morality Today vs. Puritan Times

On the Side of Better Angel

Although morality consstantly exists in societies worldwide, it represents for different values in different societies. Some may think consuming alcohol is a sin, and some think that it is pleasurable. However, as society progresses, there are common values or behaviors that are defined as “morality”, such as being polite and not killing the innocent. As human evolve, the standards of morality is changing continuously. However, nowadays, because of education and technology, people restrict themselves to higher moral standards than Puritan times, in both behaviors and ideas. The comparison can be drawn from contemporary events and the books The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller, which both describe the Puritan society.

In Puritan times, although Puritans set up high moral standards in their society, their hearts and minds were less moral than today’s society. As the book The Scarlet Letter described, the “goodwife” used her toxic words to attack Hester, a woman who committed adultery, “It were well, if we stripped Madam Hester’s rich gown off her dainty shoulders; and as for the red letter, which she hath stitched so curiously, I’ll bestow a rag of mine own rheumatic flannel, to make a fitter one!” (Hawthorne 48). The women from the crowd were jealous of Hester’s beauty and her fancy letter. From this “goodwife”, it suggests that the society of Puritan is less moral because of their sin of jealousy built in their minds. Moreover, they did not feel ashamed to show their jealousy in front of public. They still spoke bad words about Hester even when a man in the crowd shouted: “Mercy on us, goodwife, is there no virtue in woman, save that springs from a wholesome fear of the gallows? That is the hardest word yet!” (Hawthorne 46). These evidence prove that the morality of sympathy and kindness among these women was lost in their mind.

In contract, in today’s society, people have higher moral standards in minds, peace in particular. In modern history, people fight for morality. Morality reached its peak with the intolerance of racial inequality, sexual discrimination, police brutality, gender bias, child abuse, religious discrimination, killing and slavery. All events and ideological revolutions happened when thinkers and philosophers led the discussions, and people recognized and accepted. Soon, they became the new standards of morality in our society. As Stephen Pinker describes in his book The Better Angels of Our Nature: “Violence has declined over long stretches of time, and today we may be living in the most peaceable era in our species’ existence.” (Pinker 1). No killing is always a moral value, which people tried so long to accomplish. After all conflicts, war and revolution, the “peaceable era “ finally came, which indicates that today’s society has highest morality in history. In education, people always make use of history to prevent further violence and tragic loss in further generation, which suggests the higher moral standards of peace and sympathy are introduced in today’s society. 

Not only did the Puritans lack of moral ideas, but they also had behaviors that were less moral. As Nathaniel Hawthorne described in his book The Scarlet Letter, the sailors in Puritan Times had extremely rude behaviors: “They transgressed, without fear or scruple, the rules of behaviour that were binding on all others; smoking tobacco under the beadle’s very nose … draughts of wine or aqua-vita from pocket flasks.” (Hawthorne 213). These rude behaviors showed their lacks of sense of law and morality. Hawthorne commented it as “it remarkably characterized the incomplete morality of the age” (Hawthorne 213). Lawless behaviors can lead to more violence and a lack of morality. Those behaviors absolutely outraged the town people. However, nobody stands to defend their moral standards. Another example of immorality in Puritan times is in the book The Crucible. Abigail accused other people for being witches by pretending. When she was asked if she still wanted to cry out others, she responses: “If I live, if I am not murdered, I surely will, until the last hypocrite is dead” (Miller 150). Morality was lost because she gained a little power. She presumptuously accused people who she did not like as ‘hypocrite’. Her behavior definitely showed her lack of morality. She did not feel guilty or sympathy when accusing innocent people. Both examples showed immorality in their behaviors.

In modern times, most people have higher moral standards showed in their behaviors. For example, in China, there are still lots of undeveloped cities or provinces. People lived there are poor and uneducated. Recently, those regions have received a lot of help. Financially, many people, even students, donate money for building schools in those regions. Many companies build libraries and donate books. These behaviors show the ideas of generosity and charity, both are types of morality, are developing (Rural Poverty In China).

As the society develops, the higher moral standards are set, and more people are trying to accomplish it through their behaviors. Some common values of morality that we held throughout history are reaching the highest point. Today’s society is on the better angels.

Work Cited:

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Modern Library, 2000. Print.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin, 1995. Print.

Pinker, Steven. The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. New York: Viking, 2011. Web

“Rural Poverty Portal.” IFAD. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.