Religion In Colonial America Essay

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Discuss the role religion plays in the lives of one or two characters (minor or major), and how it reflects the importance of organized religion in colonial America. Give two examples from the text.

Rebekka is a Dutch settler who becomes an important character in the novel when it comes to religion and beliefs. Rebekka experiences a religious conversion from being not very religious, to being very religious. Initially, she sticks to the beliefs of her husband, Jacob Vaark. She was Protestant at the beginning, since the Anabaptists denied baptizing her daughter. After suffering through illness, the loss of her children, and enduring the harsh realities of colonial America, Rebekka's faith changes and evolves. She begins to question her beliefs and finds comfort in a more personal connection with God.

Rebekka's journey shows the shifting religious landscape of colonial America, where people grappled with establishing their beliefs and sought more intimate forms of spirituality. …show more content…
Despite their differences in background and social status, Rebekka, Lina, Sorrow, and Florens share a common struggle. As women, they all struggle against the oppressive forces of patriarchy and colonialism. Their narratives help show the marginalization and violence faced by women of European, Native American, and African descent. We read about the ways in which race and gender are connected to vulnerability and oppression in a society dominated by white male authority.

When Florens asks for shelter on her journey to find the blacksmith, she is taken in by a Christian widow and her apparently "possessed" daughter Jane, whose soul she is trying to save by whipping her. Rebekka experiences religion, as practiced by her mother, as “a flame fueled by a wondrous hatred” (86). How are Christians portrayed in the novel? How do they regard Florens and black people, in
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