Religion In The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman

Though this Southern Christian white woman is superficially pleasant and well-mannered, she conceals her ugly thoughts of class stratum cognizant of what is below her pedestal. A church going woman who treats slaves fairly, she believes her time volunteered and philosophy of doing things for others are enough to sanctify her ugliness on the inside. The omniscient narrator observes that “Mrs. Turpin felt at awful pity… it was one thing to be ugly and another to act ugly” (473) Ironically, Mrs. Turpin is the one who acts ugly. Arrogant about her station in life, when faced to choose between “a nigger or white-trash” she would plead with Jesus to “let [her] wait until there’s another place available” (472). Silently judging others she is pleased to not be anything less socially acceptable than she already is, and often occupies herself at night classifying people. Mrs. Turpin believed that you “had to have certain things before you could know certain things;” this consequently places her on a higher plane (474).

Faith and religion rests in the core of Jane’s character and actions, but also causes tension with her independence. At Lowood, she struggles to reconcile her desire to rebel against oppression and injustice with the words of Helen saying to submit like Christ. She chooses to submit, experiencing an “extraordinary sensation”, feeling “as if she was a martyr” (67). Through her submissions, she learns to be virtuous. This virtue is challenged when she must choose either to be Rochester’s mistress, or to forsake the man she loves, jeopardizing her happiness. Abiding by God’s law, she leaves, believing that “God directed [her] to a correct choice” (366). Jane faces her fiercest tension when she faces St. John’s proposal to marry him and become a missionary’s wife. She desires to continue in God’s will, telling St. John that “I will give my heart to God”, but knows that marrying him goes against her every desire. She wishes to be free from St. John; she desires her independence. She nearly submits, were she “but convinced that it is God’s will” that she marry St. John (426). She prays for Heaven to “show [her] the path” (426). Jane truly seeks God’s will, and in return, “seemed to penetrate very near a Mighty Spirit” (427). Her devotion to God is rewarded as she prays in her “different way to St. John’s” (427). God releases Jane from a life married to St. John and allows her to return to Rochester and become his wife. Jane’s faith in God allows her to make virtuous

Marie was a showy Christian and only practiced her religion on Sundays. That is when she dressed up in all her diamonds, silks, and lace and went to her fashionable church and acted very religious. She was very pious on Sundays. (Kindle Edition, 2752) When Miss Ophelia asked St Clare if he is going to church, he replies with a no and Marie interjects with, “I do ever wish St Clare would go to church, but he hasn’t a particle of religion about him. It really isn’t respectable.” (Kindle Edition, 2767) As if because she was going to church, she was any more of a Christian than he. It is clear she only went because of how good it made her look. It is also clear that she went to church to listen to a preacher that bends words to fit her worldly society and makes slavery seem right by talking about seasons and how it is appropriate that some people be high and others be low. It never hurts to listen to a preacher that is of the same opinion regarding controversial subjects as you. She may not be so religious if she went to one of those horrible shouting Methodists churches, where she would likely hear some truth regarding God’s word and the true evil that was slavery. It would be better for her to be more like Missy Cassie, who didn’t proclaim to be a Christian at all, than a fake like she was.

witnessing a woman refusing to leave her books and choose to let herself be burned alive, he,

A woman living in the MA Bay colony with the belief that if God had already decided what a person’s fate was (predestination), they had no reason to follow the laws of the society nor of God. She was brought to trial in 1638 and banished from the colony. After traveling to both Rhode Island and New York while pregnant and with her family, she and all but one of them were killed by natives in the latter.

Mary Jo Weaver writes about American Catholics in the Twentieth Century. According to Weaver, Catholics on the 20th Century faced a tough challenge adapting to the new changes after Second Vatican Council. Catholics were a close circle and were forced to accept the new changes such as democracy and pluralism. The dialogue with other religions such as Jews and Protestants were more acceptable. Mary Jo Weaver concludes that the Second Vatican Council was to address pastoral problems, which was a big deal with the Catholic Church. Catholicism needed a new attitude towards their beliefs. The ghettos were no longer a closed circle for Catholics; they began to become more integrated in society. The hierarchal authority also changed, power move to

“A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” by Mary Rowlandson is a short history about her personal experience in captivity among the Wampanoag Indian tribe. On the one hand, Mary Rowlandson endures many hardships and derogatory encounters. However, she manages to show her superior status to everyone around her. She clearly shows how her time spent under captivity frequently correlates with the lessons taught in the Bible. Even though, the colonists possibly murdered their chief, overtook their land, and tried to starve the Native Americans by burning down their corn, which was their main source of food, she displays them as demonizing savages carrying out the devil's plan. There are many struggles shown

Jane even receives more religious teaching from her new friend, Helen Burns. Helen says, "the Bible bids us return good for evil" (88; ch. 6). Later, shortly before Helen dies, she tells Jane "I am sure there is a future state; I believe God is good; I can resign my immortal part to Him without any misgiving. God is my father; God is my friend; I love Him; I believe He loves me" (113; ch. 9). Mr. Brocklehurst, when upset about seeing curls on a child's head says, "here in an evangelical, charitable establishment" (96; ch. 7) and even before she enters the Institution, he speaks of the "Christian duties" and "Christian grace" that the Institution holds (66; ch. 4); "The church exercised an unchallenged domination over education" (Vaughan 3).

It was nothing to her, that an innocent man was to die for the sins of his

Accordingly, the narrative contains both literal and symbolic dimensions. Before the attack on her village and her capture by the Native Americans, She lived a blissful and pleasurable life with her family. She had a nice home, comfortable furnishing, and ate the best of foods. Although Rowlandson’s husband was a minister and she was a Christian, she did not feel she lived her life as devoted or committed, as she should be; she could have prayed more or been more devoted

We see a repetitive theme of religion in the document, “Pillars of Salt”,by Cotton Mather. Mary Martin, James Morgan, W.C., and many others who were executed had committed similar crimes which went against the Christianity religion. Mary Martin was accused and executed for killing a baby after it was born. Mary argued that the baby was born dead, but the court disregarded her plea and sentenced her to death.

Helen’s life was influential to Jane’s life because she taught her so much, but Helen’s death was more important, because it burdened Jane with carrying on Helen’s legacy. Helen was the first person Jane has cared for in a positive way. She idolizes Helen, arguably as a mother or sister figure, and her death leaves an emptiness in Jane’s life. Although she never announces that she will carry the lessons Helen taught her, Jane’s actions demonstrate the importance and the hold that these lessons have on her life. Most notably, before her death from consumption, Helen tells Jane to study the New Testament and follow Jesus’s notion to “Love your enemies” (Bronte #). When Jane is summoned back to Gateshead, where her aunt is dying, she displays this doctrine in its fullest. Mrs. Reed was one of Jane’s most antagonizing enemies. She banishes Jane to the “red room” and says she may not be let out until Mrs. Reed came to get her herself. When Jane cries out in terror of seeing a ghost, Mrs. Reed “thrust [her] back and locked [her] in”

For Joanna, religion was a source of comfort that was pushed on her by her father. Joanna was raised by puritans and she lives her life with a constant subconscious fear of

In her writing titled “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson”, Mary lies out for the reader her experience of being held in captivity by Indians during the King Philip’s War. Perhaps one of the most significant aspects of this writing is the glimpse that the reader gets into Rowlandson’s faith and religion. Faith was a major aspect of life in the Colonial Period. It was of widespread belief that God was to be feared, and that he was the only way to redemption (Kizer). Mary Rowlandson was no different, but the extreme conditions of her captivity caused her faith to occasionally waiver. Most of the time throughout her journey in captivity, she depended on God, and the

Mrs. reed was very cruel to jane but that paid off in the long run because it made jane inot a strong woman. On the other hand, Bessie loved jane and played a motherly role for jane. Helen burns, filled jane with knowledge and showed her kindness and the way to god. Miss temple served as an emotional support system as she stood up for jane when she was falsely accused and was there for her when her best friend passed away.Diana and Mary helped jane made smart choices and became close