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These excerpts from Pillars of Salt show us a side of Cotton
Mather that is largely forgotten: a pastor keenly interested
in individual souls, in the root causes and the nature of
evil, and in the words and thoughts of people whom so many
in his own community regard as beyond redemption.
Explorations
1. Read over the questions that Mather asks as he converses
with these convicted men and women. Are the answers predicated
in those questions? Where do we see genuine curiosity evinced,
and where does Mather seem to be hoping for a particular
response?
2. If you compare Mather’s ideas about evil in Pillars
of Salt to his ideas in The Wonders of the Invisible
World,
what significant differences do you notice?
3. Pillars of Salt marks the beginning of a continuing motif
in American literature and popular culture - the inquiry
into the depths of the sinner or of the criminal mind.
Sometimes this interest comes off as voyeuristic; at other
times, it can seem a genuine meditation on the human heart.
Think about narratives (plays, films, novels) that purport
to present an encounter between a “good” man
or woman and a condemned criminal, a psychopath, a moral
monster. As literature and as entertainment, how do you
sort these out?
Other Sites to Consult
http://www.gty.org/~phil/mather.htm: The Cotton Mather Homepage,
featuring large collections of writings and links.
http://www.puritansermons.com/: Fire and Ice: Puritan and
Reformed Writings. Includes biographical sketches and writings
from major Puritan figures, as well as historical information
and links.
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/amlitcol.htm: A page for
Early American and Colonial Literature to 1700 from the Internet
School Library Media Center. Includes historical information,
biographies, and writings from many early American literary
figures.
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