While reading Mayflower, I found that the theme of community stood out the most because of the teamwork Plymouth needed to initially function and the strength that a sense of community provided for the civilizations mentioned. The first establishment of community for the Europeans upon the Mayflower began with the creation of the Mayflower Compact, which was meant to unify the variety of people on the journey to North America. Philbrick mentions the document “applied to a group of people who were three thousand miles from their mother country,” showing the group’s need for a separate and unique set of laws and their progress towards an individual community (41). This sense of community is also clear concerning the Pilgrims’ overall survival in the early years of the colony. For example, the Pilgrims’ sense of community was vital to the period of peace they experienced in 1620 because because of their collective decisions to work as a community with the Native Americans and compensate for any wrong the Native Americans felt the Pilgrims had committed. Although the strength and unity of the initial colony of Plymouth was in decline in 1640s, the theme of the community continued to stay prevalent with the creation of the United Colonies of New England. This Union created a community on a larger scale, looking to to unite and strengthen the colonies in an attempt to have them work collaboratively, especially in terms of Native American relations. This being said, I found community as the most prevalent theme because it was the largest necessity to the success of the Plymouth colony and played an important role throughout each civilization encountered.
I also believe that the theme of community stood out the most during the settlement period of the Pilgrims in the New World. The importance of working together constantly came up and allowed these historic figures from perishing in their new environment, despite the ever present conflicts and violence that arose. Before the initial departure of the Mayflower from the port of Plymouth, the inappropriate condition of the Speedwell forced the Puritans to sail on only one ship among the Strangers sent by Thomas Weston. After their numbers were dramatically reduced, the Pilgrims’ minister John Robinson strongly urged “his followers to do everything they could to avoid conflict with their new compatriots” (29) and softened their views on exclusivity so the Leideners and Strangers could “live together as best they could” (29). The importance of strengthening this bond led to the creation of the Mayflower Compact, inspired by “the need to create a government based on civil consent rather than divine decree” (41). After surviving a grueling and dangerous winter, the Pilgrims were able to create an agreement on granting assistance to the Pokanokets whensoever it be needed, who, although not having as extensive a control as the Pilgrims believed, proved to be loyal and honorable. With the binding of the Pilgrims to the Pokanokets, the New World settlers realized that they had a much better chance of survival in the unknown territory and “the threat of Indian attack” was “greatly reduced” (103), later alleviating the dangers that prevented them from creating their own colony. As more and more English settlements were appearing in the New World, the creation of the United Colonies of New England was decided with the growing understanding that “it was important that the English colonies attempt to act as a unified body” (180). This new attempt at strengthening the community of English settlers was the “model and prototype of the North American Confederacy of 1774” (181) (the basis for the United States), and prevented any further Indian attacks at the time as they were unable to create their own union. In order for the Pilgrims to succeed in their attempts to conquer the New World, the establishment of a strong community was vital at the time, and that is why I believe it is the most prominent theme.
Just as Kyra, I strongly believe that community is the dominant theme in Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. As we begin the story, community is immediately shown through the perseverance and the unity needed to receive the patent to travel to the new world. While travelling through Holland and Leiden the Puritans worked together to achieve this success while maintaining their identity as Englishmen. The want and need for a new and better life was a mutual goal for every Puritan travelling to the New World. That only assisted in motivating them to help each other and do as much as possible for the benefit of the journey. Without the help of one another and the strength of each person, the journey would not have been successful. But once they arrived in the New World, patience, teamwork and hard work helped them survive the first couple weeks in the New World. The men went to build and hunt while the women took care of the children and searched for food. Also, community is well shown through the mutual decision of each man to recognize that a peaceful relationship with the Native Americans was vital to their survival. Overall, the initial start of this new colony proved to the English that their goal of thriving in the New World might be attainable." Another example of community being a dominant theme in Mayflower is when it was finally discovered that Billington was kidnapped by the Nausets. Bradford gathered his men and took off to save him, despite the extreme danger and lack of knowledge about the situation. Philbrick wrote that Bradford was fully “aware that they were venturing back into potentially hostile territory” (Philbrick 111). This proves that to their leader, each member of this new colony mattered and deserved to be a part of this journey and future success. As more and more people were dying and falling victim to a new and unknown habitat, Bradford held the people together to ensure their future as a colony. Community is required to start a new colony. War is something colonies do not hope for, but may come if the community is unstable and courage is something a colony hopes for but does not necessarily need. Thus community is a dominant theme and important asset to Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick.
As I read Mayflower, courage was the theme that I believe stood out the most. Using the definition of “courage” found in Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary (1989) (“mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty”) the characters in the book impressed me as being courageous in many different areas of the story. For example, because the voyage to America was filled with the danger of a long journey through rough ocean waters, uncertainty of whether they would reach their destination at all, and fear of the unknown of what lie ahead, the decision to embark on the journey itself was the essence of courage. The Pilgrims’ courage was crucial for their survival on the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. The Pilgrims possessed a special type of courage that enabled them to leave behind what was familiar and go to America to create a new, separate society essentially from scratch. They left knowing the dangers and adversities they would face along the way. The Pilgrims were a motivated group of people who “demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience” (17). On the Mayflower, the living conditions were terrible, and many times the weather made the trip even more unbearable, but they chose not to give up. Once the Pilgrims arrived in America, they had to work hard to establish a settlement, find food, sustain themselves, and govern their community. They were determined not to give-up hope despite those struggles and the high death rates they experienced early on. The pilgrims exhibited great strength in the face of pain and were able to overcome barriers that frightened them. They struggled to find food and were in constant competition with Native American tribes. Developing relationships with the Native Americans and learning to trust them was something that took great courage. The courage to do so ended up being one of the most important decisions ever made. The Pilgrims would not have been able to survive had it not been for the help of the Native Americans. It was incredibly brave of the Pilgrims, especially their leader William Bradford, to trust Squanto as their interpreter. What took courage was for the Pilgrims to put their faith and trust in him even though other Native Americans discouraged them from doing so. The Pilgrims had no way to tell if Squanto was helping or harming them, but they were courageous enough to take a chance. The Pilgrims’ perseverance in the face of danger proved to be the key to their successes, including establishing relations with Native Americans like Massasoit, electing a leader and creating the Mayflower Compact, and emerging victorious from the bloody King Philip’s War in 1675. Nathaniel Philbrick mentions, “In the end, the winner of the conflict was determined not by military prowess but by one side's ability to outlast the other” (332). The Pilgrims fought until the bitter end and proved that they were capable of defending their settlements and their people. The mental and moral strength of the Pilgrims to overcome adversity and venture into the unknown established their courage necessary to succeed in establishing a new colony in America. For that reason, I found courage to be the most prevailing theme in Mayflower.
I agree with the statement that courage is the predominant theme throughout Philbrick's Mayflower. For example, on page 114 Miles Standish and the Native American Hobbamock must come together to face a common enemy, Corbitant, who had been disloyal to Massasoit. Together they devise a plan to attack Corbitant in response to his threats against the Pilgrims. Although their plan to kill Corbitant did not follow through as they had hoped (Corbitant escaped his wigwam during the attack), the courage displayed by Standish to align himself with a Native American embodies the very courage Americans today strive to possess. Standish embodies american bravery and courage because he had the courage to form a strategic alliance with a Native American, who were considered the enemy of the pilgrims. The courage to put faith into the cunning, clever natives allowed the Pilgrims to prosper. Had pilgrims such as Standish lacked courage and remained isolated and refusing to seek allies, there very well may not be an america today.
Similar to Paris, I believe the most prominent theme in Nathaniel Philbrick's book Mayflower is courage, as it was required throughout the entirety of the voyage to and settlement of the new world. The amount of courage that it took for the Pilgrims' to even embark on the voyage is unfathomable to me. Bravery and courage was not only necessary to survive the voyage, but to survive in a foreign land with potentially dangerous inhabitants. The Pilgrims demonstrated courage when they not only formed the Mayflower Compact, which many consider to "mark the beginning of what would one day be called the United States" (40) but also took the time to befriend and reconcile with a native tribe and ultimately form a pact with them. The courage to not only trust each other but the natives, most importantly their guide and interpreter Squanto, proved to save the Pilgrims from immediate termination in their new environment. Lastly, courage was the quintessential component for the Pilgrims in winning the bloody King Philip's War. The groundwork for the United States was built by the brave and strategic decisions made by the courageous Pilgrims and their leaders throughout their settlement in the new world.
In my opinion, the predominant theme of Mayflower was community. The Puritans were an incredibly strong community that stuck together despite facing daunting challenges such as persecution for their beliefs in Europe, a grueling sail to North America, a harsh first winter in New England with few resources, and dissent from non-Puritan colonists in Plymouth. They even managed to create a strong, friendly community with the Pokanokets despite the local Native Americans’ previous bad experiences with the English. This sense of community allowed the Pilgrims to survive their first difficult winter despite the loss of more than half of the colony’s original population and build a strong colony where they could freely practice their beliefs. The establishment of the United Colonies of New England expanded this community to all of the Puritan colonies across New England despite their potentially problematic differences. After the death of Massasoit, the Pilgrims faced the problem of their rapidly decaying relationship with the Native Americans with the controversy surrounding the death of Alexander, the unfair purchases of Native American land, and eventually the start of King Philip’s war. During the war, the Pilgrims stuck together through the difficult war and disastrous losses. Several colonies including Plymouth even managed to put aside their negative feelings towards the Native Americans and create alliances with neutral tribes that turned the tide of the war in their favor. The Pilgrims’ remarkably strong community allowed the Plymouth colony to not only survive but thrive in their harsh environment. While the community undoubtedly weakened in later generations, it was still strong enough for Plymouth to survive King Philip’s War and for the Puritans to maintain their beliefs for years to come.
As Ian discussed, I found the theme "community" predominant throughout Philbrick's Mayflower. Together, the Puritans escape from England to avoid King James and his bishops in hopes of re-creating "the English village life they so dearly missed"(5). The Pilgrims' varying beliefs in church hierarchy and predestination, to name a few, separated them from the Church of England and put them at odds with the English church officials. First, the Separatists traveled to Leiden, a thriving city and commercial center where religion is practiced freely, as a group solely held together by a common belief and "a most strict and sacred bond"(17). Their resilience and bravery as a unit demonstrates their strength and willpower in small numbers. The Pilgrims sacrificed their own well being to protect their religious beliefs for their children and future as a community of separatists. Although they are faced with numerous hardships as they embark on their journey to the new world, they never lose faith in each other or their decision to separate from the Church of England. Upon arriving in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims were quick to recognize “that the only way for the settlement to succeed financially was if everyone worked together”(40). With this, they constructed a document known as the Mayflower Compact, which signified the formation of one of the first cults in the United States, having more in common “than a democratic society”(40) today. This document was remarkable because it not only provided the framework and structure for the community of Pilgrims; it also “applied to a group of people who were three thousand miles from their mother country”(41). The strength of their cult is evident when compared to other natives at the time. Due to enemies, disease, and threats from the west, the Pokanoket tribe was “in a desperate struggle to maintain their existence as a people”(49). Ian pointed out the alliances formed between the native tribes at the time, proving the power of community with all differences put aside. Had the Pilgrims’ connection and beliefs not been as strong, their settlement at Plymouth would have had nowhere near the success it demonstrated.
I agree with Ian in saying that the theme of community is the theme that stands out the most in Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. The book begins with an introduction to the Pilgrims, a close community of puritans living in Leiden, Holland seeking a new place to live so they may escape persecution and seek religious freedom. Avoiding persecution because of their religion was what first bonded the Pilgrims together as they faced said hardship together, and in bonding they formed a community that would give them the strength they needed to establish a new home where they could practice their religion without the threat of persecution. In the challenges they faced in finding and establishing their new home, it was the community they first formed that kept them together. Whether it be persevering the prolonged journey on the Mayflower to the New World or enduring the bitter winter they met just as soon as they arrived, they persisted for the communal desire to establish a home where they may follow their religion safely and in a community with other puritans who strive to create the same religious haven. While the community of puritans constructed in Leiden remained a prevailing force that held the Pilgrims together, the Pilgrims’ achievement of forming a community with the Native Americans also contributed to the theme of community in Mayflower. Most settlements before Plymouth suffered from hostility with the Native Americans, and while the Pilgrims didn’t start on the best foot with the nearest tribes, they eventually worked to settle a useful and often quite friendly relationship with the Native Americans, especially the Pokanoket tribe. Though the loyalties of both the Native Americans and the Pilgrims were often tested, for many years their sense of community surmounted the adversity their alliance faced. As Ian said, the Pokanoket-Pilgrim community struggled after the death of Massasoit, but it was ultimately the community of the Pilgrims and the battle for religious freedom that brought them together in the first place that led to their indisputable success as the first settlement to thrive and last in the New World.
I think community was the overarching theme. There were many communities: the English settlers, numerous Native American tribes like the Wampanoag that were all dependent on coming together as a group to champion their cause. Be it the initial Pilgrims who came together as a community to risk sailing across the Atlantic in search of a better life. They were a community with shared beliefs, principles and willingness to face uncertainty and adversity—and the shear will to stay alive required belief in community as a cornerstone for their survival. The Pilgrims encountered numerous challenges that required them to work together and overcome. From repairing their first ship to surviving their brutal first winter, to embracing the Pokanokets and forming an alliance and friendship based on a six-point agreement. Community is about working together for the betterment of the collective while acknowledging everyone is unique and an individual.
As I read the Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme of courage stood out the most to me like Paris, not only because of the Europeans’ desire to live in a new world, but because of their audacious determination to stay alive. Before setting sail across the Atlantic Ocean, the Europeans knew of the already once failed attempt of Jamestown founded in 1607, where “ 70 of 108 settlers had died” (5). Several accounts found at the university in Leiden told about the threat of of Indian attacks, (often sanguinary) in addition to starvation, disease, and lack of supplies. Despite these accounts and fear of the unknown, Christopher Jones led 102 Europeans across the open sea with “agonizing delays, sea sickness, cold, and the scorn and ridicule of sailors” (4). After setting foot on land in Long Point, Massachusetts the tired passengers noticed the rustic landscape that was “low and sandy” and “an unpromising place for a plantation” (46). However, over the next decade, the Europeans under William Bradford managed to create a society alongside the Indians, where they traded and communicated with each other. The settlers developed relationships with the Indians, such as with Samoset, Squanto (who served as a communicator between the Indians and English) and the Pokanokets’ sachem, Massasoit. Despite diseases such as smallpox, starvation and lack of supplies, the Pilgrims managed to courageously create a stable society upon which they were able to expand and experiment. Although numerous wars followed the settlers’ arrival with the neighboring Indians such as King Philip’s War in 1675, the Europeans managed to create a society on which our country is based. Without the Pilgrims’ courage, such a journey would not have been possible.
In my personal opinion, war is the predominant theme in Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower. As the Pilgrims build their society and forge bonds with the Indians around them, this becomes excruciatingly clear. The meetings and agreements between the natives and the newcomers are not to sustain friendship, but to exercise the cautious diplomacy oftentimes seen between two rival countries. When the two groups do finally meet on peaceful terms, it is notable that the Pilgrims make a show of their falsified “strength” before the Indian chieftain, Massasoit. Their welcoming to him is distinctly militaristic; “A Pilgrim delegation including Standish and half a dozen men armed with muskets greeted Massasoit at the brook. They exchanged salutations, and after seven of the warriors were designated hostages, Standish accompanied Massasoit to a house…On cue, a drummer and trumpeter began to play as Governor Carver and a small procession of musketeers made their way up to the house” (98). This display of “strength” shows that the Pilgrims and the Indians are not meeting as neighbors settling the same land, but as cautious tribes with the potential to go to war. War becomes a quick reality for the Pilgrims with word of Massasoit’s kidnapping, who come to realize that “If Massasoit had indeed been captured, they were, according to the terms of the treaty they had recently signed, at war with the most powerful tribe in the region” (113). It takes the Pilgrims yet another show of confused force to secure their positions and cause for respect. For the Pilgrims and the Indians, war is a constant threat - and an occasional reality.
Throughout the Mayflower the theme I believed to be most prominent, like Paris and Mariah, was courage. Throughout their journey the pilgrims have the courage to persevere as a result of their resolute faith in God. As Paris and Mariah explained it took great courage for the pilgrims to leave their home and venture to a mysterious new land and build their lives in the unknown and dangerous environment. The pilgrims took these courageous actions because they believed it was Gods will for them to do so. It took a lot of courage to "draw away" (4) from the Church of England, an act that was illegal in Jacobean England. As well as having a belief system that caused them to be portrayed as radicals resulting in their emigration to Holland. There were many arguments and fears about settling in the new world however these were ceased with the "conviction that God wanted them to go" (6) so their children could be raised English instead of Dutch. The pilgrims trusted that God would get them through all of their hardships, and to them that was all they needed to perform immense acts of courage and bravery. Another example of the pilgrims faith in God pulling them through a difficult situation is when Church's army of twenty men held off and army of tree hundred Native Americans, without suffering any casualties. Church's men were vastly outnumbered, they were running low on ammunition and they were positioned behind a stonewall that left them open to attack in the north and south. Church's men started to talk about making a run for it. Contrary to his men Church remained calm with the believe that "God was in control, and he was on their side." (249) He urged his men to be patient and courageous. Church instructed one of his soldiers, who was too panicked to fire his musk, to reinforcing the stone wall. While positioning a rock a bullet ricocheted off the stone in the man's hands. After this courage was restored to Church's army and they continued to stay by him because this proved God was with them since He had "'directed the bullets [to]...hit the stone' and not the man." (249) Since separating themselves from the Church of England to fighting against the Native Americans the pilgrims acted took immeasurable acts of courage that were facilitated by the belief God was on their side.
While reading Mayflower, I found that bloodshed and senseless violence were overwhelmingly more common than courage or a sense of community. Specifically during King Philip’s War, there were many instances in which the English set out to ruthlessly kill Natives who wanted nothing more than to stay out of the conflict, and the same goes for the Indians against the English. One example is the battle at the Narragansett fort. Instead of joining the other Indians against the English, the Narragansetts built an immense fort to “defend themselves against an unprovoked Puritan attack,” which shows that the Narragansetts simply wanted to stay out of the war altogether (272). Once the English breached the walls of the fort, they came upon wigwams full of “hundreds of Native women and children.” (275) The soldiers burned the wigwams and all of the innocents inside. This completely unwarranted and merciless attack on the Narragansetts shows how the English were not always killing strategically in order to end the war as soon as possible; instead, they were slaughtering as many Natives as they could, regardless of whether or not they supported King Philip. Another example of senseless killing was the Nipmuck attack on the Rowlandson garrison in 1676. It was a very similar situation to the slaughter at the Narragansett fort, because the Natives “butchered” the people seeking shelter inside the garrison, despite the fact that these particular Englishmen had not caused the Natives any harm (289). The vicious killing of innocents was all too common in New England during King Philip’s War, and by the end of 1676, both the Indians and the English had taken part in countless cold-blooded massacres of the other. The sheer number of acts of pointless violence are what made the theme of war the predominant theme of Mayflower.
In the novel Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick I believe that the most potent theme is war. Not only does the theme of war incorporate aspects of courage and community, but it is noticeable throughout the entire story. I agree with Sam and Rin; however, I see that war is prominent in not just physical conflict but even more so in alternative ways. Such as, in a religious sense and inside the colonists heads. At the start of the book a hermetic war of religion swept across Great Britain as separatists fought to worship as they pleased. This religious conflict had no association with blood shed but was fought with secluded religious gatherings against the law. It was that war over freedom of worship that drove the colonists to the New World. When the pilgrims reach the New World, war is the first thing on their minds; except, no longer with their mother country but with the Natives. The fear that resides in all the colonists is driven by the possible onset of attack by the Natives. This anxiety causes colonists to place a high importance on avoiding war. The intense focus on abstaining from war with the Natives is exhibited in the Mayflower where it says, “...nowhere had they found any people” (47). Here the colonists had just reached land after months and immediately they question where their possible enemies could be hiding. Not only were the colonists at war with their home, and trying to avoid it with the Natives, but they were also at war with themselves. In all the men’s heads, whether a colonist or Native they were at war with their own morals. Whose side should they fight for? Should they be fighting at all? This unspoken war of contemplation is one that every man has against himself whenever making a decision. As stated before, the theme of war is not only clearly prevailing but serves as an umbrella theme incorporating community and courage into it. One needs courage and their community to fight a war in the first place. During a brutal ambush, when one of Benjamin Church’s men falls, it’s courage that brings Church back to try and save his life. With Natives firing straight at him “...Church attempted to save Belcher’s life” (240). Community is demonstrated in the matter of war when later in battle Church himself falls and, “His men rushed to his side and began to carry him out of the fort…” (275). Above an example of courage and community is displayed, but both are instigated by the presence of war. I conclude war as the most prominent theme seeing as it continues throughout the entire novel and stands as an overarching motif.
I agree with what Bella says about war being not only physical, but also mental. I also agree with the fact that war is an umbrella theme. With war comes an abundance of courage. Throughout the Mayflower, the puritans were not only fighting with the indians and other puritans but also with themselves. During the long and treacherous voyage of the Mayflower to America, the puritans were constantly at war with themselves. They were fighting the cold, the hunger the desire they had to turn back. But the ship's master Christopher Jones, though he considered turning back many of times, continued fighting his urge. It seemed that everything was against the ship and it’s passengers but everyone onboard kept on the fight. This also shows how courage falls under the realms of war. It took courage for the people on board to push forwards which is what resulted in them discovering the new land. There were also many difficulties with the originally plan. The original voyage consisted of two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell. Unfortunately, due to a constant leak in the Speedwell, it was left behind and many of the passengers gave up hope. However some went onto the already crowded Mayflower in hope of finding the new world. The Mayflower was now all alone at sea running a few months late and approaching winter. The cramped corridors and bitter weather was a fight the puritans onboard were willing to give in order to settle somewhere they were free to express their religious beliefs. During King Philip’s war, the puritans were, again, not only fighting the indians but they were also fighting their environment. During the march to Wickford, after the Great Swamp Fight, the colonists had to finish the long night fighting against the cold and fighting to keep themselves alive. They were trudging through the freshly laid snow lugging with them more than two hundred of the dead and wounded. It was one of the longest nights any of them had to suffer through but they fought through it and came out victorious. This also shows a mass bit of courage because it is courage that helped them fight through the night. The war that must have been going on in the colonists minds is what made them stronger and helped them get through the struggles the future had to come. The theme of war was a much more common theme in my opinion, especially because it is much more broad and harbors other themes such as courage. There are countless examples throughout the mayflower that shows the theme of not only physical but mental war among the puritans and indians.
While reading Mayflower, the theme of community stood out the most to me. Throughout the Pilgrims’ journey, they encountered multiple obstacles that they would have never overcome without working together. They soon learned the only way their settlement would succeed is by working as a community. Early on their journey, a massive wave had hit the Mayflower’s topsides, making the master, Christopher Jones, consider turning back to England. In order to continue on their journey, the Pilgrims had to fix the damaged ship. No matter how much they suffered, “agonizing delays, seasickness, cold… they had done everything in their power to help the carpenter repair the fractured beam” (4). The Pilgrims constantly worked together as a community in order to reach Plymouth. Colonists of different religious beliefs came to Plymouth with the Pilgrims, as a result, Pastor John Robinson “anticipated the need to create a government based on civil consent rather than divine decree” (41). In order to assure community and unify the different passengers, the Mayflower Compact was written. Although there had been conflicts with colonists and Native Americans in the past, the Pilgrims were able to form a community with non-Puritan colonists and Native American tribes such as the Pokanokets. In order to avoid “the plague… Massasoit determined he must ‘make friendship’ with the English” (96). The Pilgrims and the Pokanokets established a six-point agreement. Their alliance allowed the Pilgrims and Pokanokets to form a friendship, helping them survive a harsh winter and avoid conflict with other Natives. As their relationship grew stronger, the Pilgrims and the Pokanokets shared information, ideas, and resources with each other. The beliefs that have strengthened America began with the Pilgrims and their ability to adapt to a new environment while building a community with people of different backgrounds and beliefs. Nathaniel Philbrick summarizes the America’s birth as; “for a nation that has come to recognize that one of its greatest strengths is its diversity, the first fifty years of Plymouth Colony stands as a model of what America might have been from the very beginning” (347). I found the theme of community the most important in Mayflower because without a sense of community, the Pilgrims would not have worked together to establish a successful colony or relationship with the surrounding Native Americans.
I believe courage to be the main theme in “The Mayflower”. The voyage of the Pilgrims starts with the courage of Puritans willing to leave their homes so that they may worship their God. Knowing that they will not have an easy voyage The Pilgrims still are driven by courage and faith to continue to the New World. Even as death and starvation take place during the voyage faith in God continues to propel them forward. Once along the coast the settlers start taking huge risks justified by the fact they were under Gods guidance. Digging graves, stealing supplies and venturing through the dangerous shoals of cape cod are all examples. Settling was also a huge risk in Plymouth yet at this point survival not so much faith was driving them forward and a quote “If it was a miracle from God, it had taken form of a holocaust” proves that the Pilgrims were not receiving the help they thought they deserved. Community starts to shine much brighter as the Pilgrims needed one and other, yet making contact and inviting the natives into the settlement was a huge step for the settlers.Making the agreement with the Pokanokets was very courageous due to the fact the Pilgrims were in a foreign land and still demanded so much. Shortly after this agreement is where the Pilgrims courage starts to take advantage of the Indians. Right after they signed the agreement with Massasoit the Pilgrims continue to carry around their muskets violating the treaty (99). As the Pilgrims get settled that faith in God becomes huge again and once hostilities broke out with King Philip courage propelled the war. Church for example when surrounded and outnumbered has such courage in his God that when the Indians cannot hit his men he believes it is God misdirecting the bullets away from them. The Indians too also use great spirits to guide them through war with the powwows and war dances. These lead the Tribes to believe the time has come for them to fight back with minimal risks As King Philip's war comes to an end the quote“In the end, the winner of the conflict was determined not by military prowess but by one side's ability to outlast the other” shows religious and spiritual faith drove both sides with such courage that only the fear of losing even more people stopped the Indians from retaliating and they accepted the settlers as victors. Courage is in my opinion the predominant theme yet bigger than courage was the faith propelling it. (It took a couple try's to get my text from google docs into blog spot for some reason, sorry).
I believe courage to be the main theme in “The Mayflower”. The voyage of the Pilgrims starts with the courage of Puritans willing to leave their homes so that they may worship their God. Knowing that they will not have an easy voyage The Pilgrims still are driven by courage and faith to continue to the New World. Even as death and starvation take place during the voyage faith in God continues to propel them forward. Once along the coast the settlers start taking huge risks justified by the fact they were under Gods guidance. Digging graves, stealing supplies and venturing through the dangerous shoals of cape cod are all examples. Settling was also a huge risk in Plymouth yet at this point survival not so much faith was driving them forward and a quote “If it was a miracle from God, it had taken form of a holocaust” proves that the Pilgrims were not receiving the help they thought they deserved. Community starts to shine much brighter as the Pilgrims needed one and other, yet making contact and inviting the natives into the settlement was a huge step for the settlers.Making the agreement with the Pokanokets was very courageous due to the fact the Pilgrims were in a foreign land and still demanded so much. Shortly after this agreement is where the Pilgrims courage starts to take advantage of the Indians. Right after they signed the agreement with Massasoit the Pilgrims continue to carry around their muskets violating the treaty (99). As the Pilgrims get settled that faith in God becomes huge again and once hostilities broke out with King Philip courage propelled the war. Church for example when surrounded and outnumbered has such courage in his God that when the Indians cannot hit his men he believes it is God misdirecting the bullets away from them. The Indians too also use great spirits to guide them through war with the powwows and war dances. These lead the Tribes to believe the time has come for them to fight back with minimal risks As King Philip's war comes to an end the quote“In the end, the winner of the conflict was determined not by military prowess but by one side's ability to outlast the other” shows religious and spiritual faith drove both sides with such courage that only the fear of losing even more people stopped the Indians from retaliating and they accepted the settlers as victors. Courage is in my opinion the predominant theme yet bigger than courage was the faith propelling it. (It took a couple try's to get my text from google docs into blog spot for some reason, sorry).
Throughout Philbrick's book, "The Mayflower", I found community to be a recurring theme as the Pilgrims established their settlements in New England. Starting with the agonizing sixty five day journey to Cape Cod, the group of Puritans fostered a strong sense of community from the very beginning. Initially, the Puritans all shared the same reason for leaving England as their religious views were not tolerated in under the English Anglican church. This group of Puritans, or "dissidents who had come to define themselves in opposition to an established authority" (13) were ready to reform the English church and start anew in America. Already, the Puritans established a community of religious outsiders under rule of the English church. Though the sharing of religious beliefs immediately spurred a tight bond between the Puritans, once settled the Pilgrims encountered a stronger community sense, bonding over hardships. Many Pilgrims founded a community with faith, but Pilgrims also bonded as human beings overcoming one some of the "most difficult emotional challenges a person can face: immigration and exile" (76). Having to adapt to an entire new environment and survive new elements of land they had never encountered forced a sense of community, as much as religion did. Additionally, the Mayflower Compact acted as a symbol of cooperation essential in a community. As new non-Puritan Pilgrims arrived from England to settle in Plymouth, inevitable conflict ensued. The Strangers, as they were called, and Leideners, came from different places with different views on religion, and thus did not fit in with the Puritan community. Despite these differences, the opposing groups within the Plymouth community recognized the need for teamwork in order to see the colony through to success. By acknowledging the benefit of efficiency and partnership, the Mayflower Compact represented an act of "coolheaded and pragmatic resolve" (42). Instead of letting violence or conflict between the groups overcome the colony’s success, the Pilgrims made an intelligent decision to establish peace and law through a written document. Philbrick emphasized community as an essential aspect in the Pilgrim's success as well as a predominant theme throughout "The Mayflower".
While reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme of courage appeared to be the most dynamic to me because every aspect of the Pilgrims' journey to acquire freedom of religion would be a struggle, with obstacles that they would need to overcome. First of all, they had to escape England. This was not easy as their first attempt shows: “The first captain they hired turned out to be a traitor and a thief who surrendered them to the authorities…” (13) Despite this betrayal, they persevered. Once they were able to get out of England, they still had to travel to the New World, a place they knew of only through stories and maps. Heading into the unknown with little information demonstrates great courage to me. When they finally did arrive at Plymouth Harbor in 1620, the Pilgrims still had to go about building a world for themselves. They had to explore the surrounding area that would become their new home for water, food and look for an dangers that they needed to familiarize themselves with in order to survive. While first exploring, they had to be courageous, brave and always aware that the native people could attack them at any time. The Pilgrims had to conquer losing loved ones and sickness, along with severe weather conditions that they had not encountered before. The population of their settlement decreased to nearly half during the first winter. However, this strong group of people forged on despite the obstacles and proceeded in doing what they came to do. The Pilgrims persevered through trials and tribulations and faced challenges head on courageously which is why I believe the theme of courage is the most potent one in the book Mayflower.
As Grace said, Courage is the underlying theme in the story Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick. Courage is what allowed the puritans to abandon their homes in England and search for a religiously freer life in Leiden, Holland. Then it was again their courage that brought them to America, even though they had been warned that “in addition to starvation and disease, there was the threat of Indian attack.” (5-6) Without courage these people would have simply accepted their circumstances, however their belief that “G-d wanted them to go” (6) had given them the strength and resolve to face the unknown in exile. The courage of the Pilgrims was what allowed them to come to the new world, because although they had fears and concerns regarding the non-Separatists on their boat and the many many unknowns in the new world, their bravery and trust in G-d is what forced them to keep going.When they had reached land, it was their fearlessness (and desperate need of resources) that allowed the lot to split up to go looking for food, shelter, or existing inhabitants. Their courage and resilience was exactly what helped them survive in this new world: “they were willing to try just about anything if it meant surviving their first year.” (64) The courage of the puritans is also what continued to motivate them throughout their numerous losses; just as Grace had pointed out, the Pilgrims had to learn to survive in hostile conditions, not only when trying to survive the winter during “the little ice age” but also during the attacks from the non-welcoming Natives, during which the Pilgrims were ill prepared but were encouraged by Standish to “be of good courage!” (71) The bravery of the Pilgrims was what set the foundation for the whole story, the courage of the people is what led to all the different encounters with the natives and was the underlying theme to the entire novel.
Throughout reading Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, I found that community was the most prominent theme of them all. Starting from the beginning of their voyage, the variety of people aboard the Mayflower knew that without working together there was no way they would survive. As the passengers suffered immensely they still managed to act as a community; “Despite all they had so far suffered- agonizing delays, seasickness, cold, and the scorn and ridicule of the sailors- they had done everything in their power to help the carpenter repair the fractured beam” (4). To unify the assortment of people aboard the Mayflower the Mayflower Compact was created. With this there was an understandable organization for community, providing framework, which guided the Pilgrims. Philbrick mentions, “the Mayflower Compact represented a remarkable act of coolheaded and pragmatic resolve” which in fact helped the Pilgrims sense of community in their early years as a colony (42). As Plymouth weakened in the 1640s, the theme of community continued to remain as the United Colonies of New England was created. The purpose of this was to create not only community within one colony but between all of the Puritan colonies in New England despite their different beliefs. This especially helped the colonies with their relationship with the Native Americans. After the tragic death of Massasoit, the Pilgrims and Native Americans relationship was deteriorating. As tensions grew, it became the beginning of King Philips War. Through the war the Pilgrims managed to stay strong and together as a unified community. They even created alliances with tribes to survive through the war. Without the Pilgrims ongoing sense of community, their society would not have been able to withstand the war. Though the Pilgrims faced many hardships, without their outstanding sense of community their civilization would not have flourished as it did, which is why I believe community is the most prevalent theme in Mayflower.
Similar to Jenny’s explanation, I found that the novel Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, demonstrated strong themes of community. As Jenny mentioned, early in the story of the Mayflower, the Pilgrims wrote the Mayflower Compact. The compact began by mentioning the Pilgrims’ duties for God, the Christian faith, and their King to form a united colony and “covenant and combine ourselves (the Pilgrims) together into a civil body politic” (41). The agreement unified the Pilgrims by stating similar trusting figures which then helped form a cohesive colony. As the colony progressed, the Pilgrims strategized solutions, with the use of community, to solve impending difficulties such as food shortages and little financial success. To increase harvests, the Pilgrims assigned each family with a plot to cultivate land. This method satisfied a communal effort as it brought women and children into the fields as well as men. Working together, families had no more food shortages. Pilgrims fixed their financial problems by adopting the use of wampum, special beads that acted as a source of exchange similar to money. Wampum allowed trade among different communities and soon, “an intimacy existed between the English and Indians that would have been almost unimaginable to subsequent generations of Americans” (194). Through trade, the relationship between Pilgrims and Indians strengthened. Later on, this relationship aided the Pilgrims during the King Philip War, as Jenny talked about in her post. Specifically, the relationship was strong when Benjamin Church influenced friendly Indians to join his team in fighting against their common enemy, Philip, and in the end, when the English and Indians celebrated together over the death of Philip. Throughout Mayflower, the Pilgrims incorporated community into the Mayflower Compact, in problem-solving situations, and in their relationship with the Indians which ultimately helped the development of their colony.
The motif of community in The Mayflower is the most dominant over all others. To ensure that the community of Separatists remained functioning the members needed to join together and work for the greater good of their community. At first, they struggled with this idea and it was not until they changed the dynamic of the colony that hope for a better future arose. The community struggled with constructing houses and producing enough food to keep inhabitants healthy and able to work. When they agreed each family was responsible for constructing their own homes the number of completed houses increased faster than before. To come to this decision, the community had to work together to find a drive within everyone to work for the greater good. By figuring out how to properly motivate people to do the necessary work by honing it on the natural desire to protect your family, the Pilgrims showed how a collective mind can reflect the success of a whole. As time went by, more people came together for the community. For example, to end King Philip’s War, the armies of Bradford and Church were able to put the war back in the colonist’s favor by putting Philip on the back foot. This collective thinking led to the success of the colonies. Having a community was the reason the colonies were successful and without it there would have been no bright future.
I agree with Kyle that the theme of community is most prominent and that the “Pilgrims showed how a collective mind can reflect the success of a whole”. However, I believe that this theme does not only apply to the Pilgrims, but also to the Indians and their lack of community. The Indians were comprised of several independent tribes: Pokanokets, Pocassets, Uncas, Nemaskets, Mohegans, Pequots etc. while the Pilgrims were a more homogeneous group. From the start, the Pilgrims had an overall structure to their development (Mayflower Compact) and as the Pilgrim territory grew, a United Colonies was created. "It was important that the English colonies attempt to act as a unified body" (180). This precise unification is that was lacking with the Indians. Even though the native population outnumbered the English, the various tribes never could compromise and become one. "There is evidence that the Narragansett sachem attempted one last bid to unite the native peoples of New England by proposing to marry one of Uncas's sisters"(182), but this never came to pass. The Indian’s independence is the main reason they were unable to take over the Pilgrims. There were many factors that contributed to the Natives remaining independent. From tribes leaning "to Christianity" (219) to the "Narragansetts being too large and diverse to speak with a single voice” (220). Given all this, I believe that the failure to create one pan-Indian tribe and the Pilgrim’s strength of community are the reasons why this theme stands out the most.
While reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower, the theme community stood out the most. As the pilgrims had to make their treacherous journey in hopes of finding a new land, free from religious barriers caused by the restrictive King James, without the sense of community they created they would never have been able to take the first step towards religious freedom. Without having the backbone of people who yearned for the same goal (religious freedom) they would not have a realistic goal at creating a new frontier. Together they were the Pilgrims, they had been through rough seas to reach a land, blinded by their determination to have ultimate freedom. Despite the expected dangers that lay ahead, such as the difficult first winter, conflicts with several Native American tribes and rampant disease that eliminated a large portion of the population, as a unified group they could handle whatever life threw at them together. Due to creating a significant bond to the Pokanoket tribe nearby, the Pilgrims also realized what a considerable impact making bonds with others would make on the colony. This alliance allowed the Pilgrims to have partner that would be very helpful in the near future in the case of any attacks on Plymouth Plantation, and allowed there to be peace between more people than just those in the colony, further expanding those on the Pilgrims “side”. Having a strong sense of community is how the colony survived, and led to the making of the Mayflower Compact, “a formal and binding agreement” that “would provide the basis for a secular government” (Philbrick 40-41). The pilgrims faced their first winter with obstacles that resulted in a vast number of deaths due to lack of resources, disease, and lack of shelter necessary to survive. But, this deathly season brought the Pilgrims closer because of the urgent need to care for fellow Pilgrims.
I believe that courage is the theme that stands out the most in the Mayflower. It would be difficult to say that the people who first signed up to participate on the voyage to the New World were not courageous. They knew that the passage would be extremely difficult and the likeliness of surviving was not 100%. Despite this, people still decided to go. It was their bravery that got the people onto the ship and perseverance that got them through the tough journey. They suffered through countless hardships like near starvation, dehydration, and destructive winds. Once they finally arrived after their journey, the people on the Mayflower continued to show their courage when they started to establish settlements. They did not turn away with the fear that they could be attacked by natives or they could come and find nothing at all. They knew that in order to survive, they had to learn the ways of the land. Another example of bravery shining through was when the Pilgrims trusted the Native Americans to show them how to grow crops and use the land. If the Pilgrims did not put their trust in the Native Americans, their chance of surviving would be much lower. Also, the Pilgrims realized that they need a written document to govern their settlement. So, they wrote the Mayflower Compact which took some thought where they had an audacious vision for their community. Overall, the people on the Mayflower overcame many adversities, but with their courage and bravery, they prevailed.
I think that courage is the theme that stands out the most. The Pilgrims set out for an unknown land, left their friends and families behind, because they were not allowed to practice their form of religion where they lived. The journey to the new world was extremely courageous by the passengers who singed the contract saying they agreed to go upon the Mayflower. Most if not all of the passengers knew there was a great chance that they might not even reach their destination, but they still left everything they once knew behind in order to freely practice their religion. Once the Pilgrims reached their destination, they had no idea about where they were going to be living. They had to find food and shelter on their own. They also had to form relationships with the native people, and this was extremely hard because they did not speak the same language. Overall I think that anyone who willingly risks everything in order to be free is very courageous. The Pilgrims may have risked everything, but for many if not most of the original Pilgrims, it was worth it.
Throughout "Mayflower" by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme of courage stands alone, in my mind, as the main theme for the story of the Pilgrims. While the themes of community and war are prominent and extremely important to the story, the idea of courage can be applied to each and every thing that the characters went through. The original Pilgrims had to be courageous to oppose the Church of England in the beginning, they had to be courageous to leave their lives in Leiden to travel to the New World and live amongst the hostile Natives, and then once they were there, they had to be courageous every single day because of their edgy relations with the Indians. I took the other themes (community and war) and thought about how they influence the book and I found that in every aspect of those themes, courageousness is present. First, war: obviously it takes a lot of courage and bravery to go off and fight in a war. The settlers displayed an immense amount of courage to fight the Indians in King Philip’s War in addition to the many local quarrels they found themselves a part of. Second, community: in order to create a community in the New World, the Pilgrims had to take a leap of faith and agree to travel to America in the first place, which required bravery as well. Also, they had to be courageous and attempt to approach the Natives because they could not have a safe and productive community without their help and friendship. While the theme of courage is present in every example of the themes of community and war, it does not work the other way around. Any given example of courage cannot be traced back to community or war, while courage is ever-present throughout Philbrick’s “Mayflower”. For this reason, courage stands out the most to me out of the three given themes of the book.
As I read Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick I found the theme of courage to be the most predominant throughout the novel. Agreeing with Drew Gally that community and war are also important to the story, I too believe that courage is the theme that is most relevant and can be applied to every situation in the book. The courage and bravery it took for the men and women to leave their communities and embark on a journey to a new, unfamiliar world is incomprehensible. Knowing that there was little chance for survival these people adventured out across the atlantic ocean through unchartered waters to discover something new. The people had little knowledge of what they would encounter on the new land but still left anyway because they were fighting for what they believed in. The people believed in religious freedom so they went against their church and left in search of something new. Leaving England against the belief of the church, getting on the Mayflower and commencing on the journey, and the boat ride over where the travelers were plagued with death, illness, little to no supplies, and poor conditions are all factors that went into the journey that were overcome by the courage and perseverance by the Pilgrims. The need for bravery was not over when they reached land, knowing that within the first year that Jamestown was settled “70 to 108 settlers has died” (5). The Pilgrims had to overcome many challenges to be accepted by the natives. Once having gained the respect of the natives they had to courageously put their full trust into the natives to guide them to a life of prosperity. In all, the Pilgrims were able to leave England, follow their faith, and survive in a new foreign land all with their tremendous courage.
The fact that the Pilgrims thought about all possible conflict before making any sort of decision clearly shows that war is the predominate theme in the Mayflower. Religious conflict drove the Pilgrims to leave England, Indian conflict drove them to find a suitable place to grow as a community, and the inner turmoil drove them to have courage. Although the separatists were fully aware of the dangers that lay ahead of them they "were willing to endure almost anything if it mean they could worship as they pleased" (4). The desire of religious toleration drove them to the New World. They couldn't stand having to fight over what they wanted to believe and practice.
Once they got to the New World they immediately thought of the possible attacks from the Natives. From the start they "were armed with matchlocks-muskets" (71). The Pilgrims did not even think that peace between them and the Natives could be possible. While looking for a permanent settlement location, the threat of Natives had a strong weight in the decision. They had to think of an adequate location that they could defend themselves from too. From the minuet the Pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower they had to tactfully make decisions about housing and collecting food that would best save them from Indian attack.
The threats of war drove each group to commit killing sprees. The English became deceitful and manipulative to get what they wanted. No longer were they there to learn from the Indians, but now "killing Indians, not saving lives appears to have been the captains chief priority" (153). Different tribes began to turn on one another, "it was no longer a question of Indian versus English; it was now possible for alliances and feuds to reach across racial lines in a confusing amalgam of cultures" (155). Tribes that used to be so close together were torn apart by the theme of war. In the end, "there were more Puritans in Massachusetts Bay than Native Americans in all of New England" (179).
As I read the Mayflower, I found courage to be the most notable of the three themes. If not for courage, the Separatists from Leiden would have never figured to abandon the only culture that they had been exposed to, nor embarked on such a treacherous odyssey to an obscure world located an ocean away. Neither would they have initiated such dauntless attacks against a much larger enemy. It is true that this exceptional courage was rooted in the colonists’ desire for a liberated and improved life. However, their loyalty to God, as well as their trust in Him allowed the Separatists to brave such brutalities. Since their fate was in the hands of God, they did not worry about the consequences of leaving their mother country, or about warring with an equipped band of Natives. All disputes over whether or not to travel to America ended “with the conviction that God wanted them to go”(6). Given this, the colonists courageously set sail on a grim-looking endeavor. They marched valiantly into most battles knowing that God was watching over them. An example of this sort of courage occurred when Benjamin Church decided to lead his troops to scout King Phillip. His wife, Alice, was initially opposed to such an endeavor. However, she ultimately agreed, and committed “her, his babes and himself to heaven’s protection”(313). In the following altercation led by Church to kill King Philip, Church believed that “the Lord was on his side”(340). This affirmation allowed Church to face an enemy that significantly outnumbered his troops. Courage was the single force that allowed the Separatists to isolate themselves from the Church of England, and to unite together into a single community. Courage was the factor that led the colonists into numerous wars against an intimidating opposition. It allowed the colonists to triumph over the terrible odds that were burdened on them upon their arrival to the New World. Courage underlied the colonists’ entire evolution into a prosperous people. Wars would not have been fought and people would not have united into an isolated pack had it not been for the beaming courage that was blessed upon the devout Pilgrims by an almighty God.
In Mayflower, the theme of courage stood out the most because of the Pilgrim’s determination to survive in a shaky and unfamiliar environment. Disobeying the Church of England, this unusual blend of colonists was made up of “families- men, women, and children who were willing to endure almost anything if it meant they could worship as they please.”(4). However, New England’s harsh winters, low food supplies, and dangerous Indian’s almost made the voyage not worth it. The newcomers did not expect that they would have needed to endure this much punishment to worship freely. The only thing keeping the Pilgrims in the new land was their astonishing amount of courage and willpower to never give up. After a year or two of settling in, leaders by the names of William Bradford and Miles Standish grasped the people’s courage and used it for the better of the settlement. The Pilgrims built a strong and organized community to help them survive the harsh winters and possible attacks from nearby Indian tribes. Although, it turned out that not all Indian tribes were dangerous. An Indian by the name of “Samoset---at least that was how the pilgrims heard it” (93) greeted the pilgrims and “spoke the now famous words, ‘Welcome Englishmen!’”(92). While reading Mayflower, I realized that the Indians were just as courageous as the Pilgrims. Both the Indians and the Pilgrims had no idea what to expect of each other. For Samoset to greet the Englishmen the way he did displays courage and hope that the Pilgrims will feel safe and secure in their new land. Throughout the book, Philbrick exploits the theme of war, community, and courage. I consent that courage stands out the most because of its true connection to the other themes of war and community. Without courage, the community never would have came together as one and the wars fought with King Philip and the Indians would have been devastating if it wasn’t for the Pilgrims motivation to stay alive.
Throughout the Mayflower, I believe the most dominant theme is war. The first encounter the Pilgrims have with the Native Americans is an unfriendly one; “The air was filled with arrows”, from the Natives, and “every [Englishman] reached for his gun” (71). When the Pilgrims make peace with some of the Natives, one of the first things they notice is how the Natives are “so different from themselves” (93). Through a peace agreement with Massasoit, along with other agreements and offerings with Native tribes, the Pilgrims built a stable relationship with their neighbors. However, once the Pilgrims settled and had a growing sense of courage, their reliance on peace with the Natives became less important. Greed, fear, and cultural differences caused small conflicts with the Indians. As the new generation of Natives and English emerged, “both sides [began] to envision a future that did not include the other” (347), leading to the hostility between the two groups, which eventually grew into a full fledged war. King Phillip’s War lasts for “fourteen bloody months” (357), during which both sides struggled to end the war by making peace. The Pilgrims pull the Narragansetts, “who asked only to be left alone” (272), into the war. The Pilgrims and the Natives display measures of total war by burning down houses and villages, taking hostages, killing, torturing and selling innocent people into slavery. During the war, both sides knew “all hope for negotiation was lost” (265), and the war would only cease when a victor emerged. The war encompasses a large portion of the Mayflower and the reality of war is the dominant theme that lingers with the reader.
Mayflower, “is a story of courage, community, and war.” All these are important themes present in Mayflower. However, I believe community stands out the most. The importance of community is shown from the very start of the book, to the end end of the book. The Puritans, “...were for the most part families” (4), and they all had one thing tying them together: “...[drawing] away from the church of England” (4) in hopes of religious freedom. They shared, “...an extraordinary spiritual connection… as exiles in Leiden” (7), and because of that, went on this journey together. Very rarely did the Pilgrims think of only themselves on the voyage to the New World. Captain Bradford’s, for example, “first priority was to get [those] people to shore as quickly as possible” (36), and, “despite all they had suffered… [the Pilgrims] [did] everything to help the carpenter repair the fractured beam” (4). The only way this journey would succeed, unlike previous settlement attempts, “...[is] if everyone worked together” (40). Not only was there a community built within the lives of the Pilgrims, there was also a community built with the surrounding indian tribes, like we see with the first Thanksgiving. As I have previously stated, community is the prominent theme in Mayflower because of the strength of family bonds, and friend bonds created between surrounding communities.
To briefly summarize the historically significant novel, Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, it can truly be categorized as “A story of courage, community, and war.” Overall, my interpretation of the story concludes that war is the most prominent theme throughout the chronicle, syncing with Rin’s, Sam’s, and Bella’s opinions. Based upon the initial narrative of the Pilgrims’ prolonged journey to reach Plymouth Harbor, one could surmise that a lengthy and bloody war might be inevitable. Not only did the narrator incorporate foreshadowing evidence, but the reader could also sense the understandable and growing tension between the newly settled Pilgrims and the native Indians. For example, before the Mayflower arrived to its eventual destination, Philbrook notes, “In addition to disease, what were described as ‘civil dissensions and bloody wars’ erupted throughout the region as Native groups that had been uneasy neighbors in the best of times struggled to create new order amid the haunted vacancy of New England” (48). The quotation implies existing tensions and future conflicts for the Pilgrims and the possible battles that might occur once they anchor into their destination. The arrival of the Pilgrims signaled angst and uncertainty for both these new settlers and the cautious Indians. At the beginning, almost all of the interactions between the two groups were very informal and involved no spoken words. Finally, after a lengthy period of time, the leader, or sachem, of the Indian tribe called Pokanoket, who was named Massasoit, met with the Pilgrims and their governor, John Carver, to discuss regulations and laws. Following this cordial and friendly encounter, the Indians and the Pilgrims experienced the very first Thanksgiving, which included bounties of food, friends, and laughter. Sadly, this peace did not last. Massasoit’s passing disharmonized the accord and unity that once embraced all of Plymouth Harbor. His successor and son, Wamsutta (Alexander), began to sell land illegally to Rhode Islanders and it was rumored that he planned to join forces with the Narragansett tribe and fight against the English. Unfortunately, Alexander fell suddenly ill during peace talks with Edward Winslow and died, leaving the throne to his brother, Metacom (Philip). Since Philip was convinced that Winslow had poisoned the sachem, the new heir loathed the military officer. Philbrook records, “Intentionally or not, Winslow had lit the slow-burning fire fuse that would one day ignite New England” (204). The young sachem began selling his land to the English for the immediate profit, only later realizing that he wanted the Indians’ native land back, as it was by then greatly diminished. There had been talk that Philip was planning to join forces against the English in order to recover their lost land and “enrich themselves with [English] goods” (212). From this point forward, what became known as “King Philip’s War” unraveled and harmony between the Pilgrims and the Pokanoket tribe would no longer exist. In fact, the majority of the Indians in the New England environs would also be at war with the foreign English, who too surrounded many parts of this coastal area. Sadly, this war lasted too many years, caused too many deaths, and left a huge expanse and void between the English and the Indians. War is the central element of these historic accounts and left a permanent mark on the lives and the futures of all those who called New England their home. I believe that war is the most paramount theme in this novel, for it overwhelmed and enveloped all aspects of the lives of the settlers and the characters in this epic tome.
While reading Mayflower I felt the predominant theme in the book was courage. Even though a strong community was necessary for the establishment and maintenance of the settlement, without courage, the voyage wouldn’t have happened in the first place. It took all the passengers of the Mayflower and Speedwell courage to leave the familiarity of their homes in England and Leiden. These strong people left families and friends behind to travel across the Atlantic Ocean in unchartered waters in search of religious freedom. They persevered through untold difficulty to arrive in America to start a community from scratch. They had very little knowledge of the land and some even left their children behind with little assurance of seeing them again. Many feared the immense danger that lay ahead of them on their journey but they forged on. The Pilgrims didn’t just have the courage to leave for America, they had the tenacity to stay there in dire conditions. When they first arrived they had to go out and search for resources and food. They were in constant competition with the Native Americans. These Indians tried to scare off the Pilgrims multiple times because they had bad relations with prior Europeans. The Pilgrims however, were not fazed and stayed resolute with their mission. Eventually, they had the courage to face the Indians when they arrived at their settlement. Despite the obvious dangers, they forged on and developed relations with Massasoit and his tribe. This action while perilous was imperative in the Pilgrims survival. Massasoit’s men taught them how to hunt, grow, and live in America but most importantly, they told the Pilgrims when they were going to be attacked by the Massachusetts Indians. Instead of simply sitting and reacting, the Pilgrims had the courage and bravery to attack first. When the Pilgrims initiated the attack, it scared all of the Indians in the region who subsequently made peace with them. They also showed tremendous courage and resolve in King Philip’s War by chasing down the Native Indians in order to preserve their new home. The Pilgrims were able to successfully plan, travel to, settle, and survive in America solely due to their immense courage.
While reading Mayflower I felt the predominant theme in the book was courage. Even though a strong community was necessary for the establishment and maintenance of the settlement, without courage, the voyage wouldn’t have happened in the first place. It took all the passengers of the Mayflower and Speedwell courage to leave the familiarity of their homes in England and Leiden. These strong people left families and friends behind to travel across the Atlantic Ocean in unchartered waters in search of religious freedom. They persevered through untold difficulty to arrive in America to start a community from scratch. They had very little knowledge of the land and some even left their children behind with little assurance of seeing them again. Many feared the immense danger that lay ahead of them on their journey but they forged on. The Pilgrims didn’t just have the courage to leave for America, they had the tenacity to stay there in dire conditions. When they first arrived they had to go out and search for resources and food. They were in constant competition with the Native Americans. These Indians tried to scare off the Pilgrims multiple times because they had bad relations with prior Europeans. The Pilgrims however, were not fazed and stayed resolute with their mission. Eventually, they had the courage to face the Indians when they arrived at their settlement. Despite the obvious dangers, they forged on and developed relations with Massasoit and his tribe. This action while perilous was imperative in the Pilgrims survival. Massasoit’s men taught them how to hunt, grow, and live in America but most importantly, they told the Pilgrims when they were going to be attacked by the Massachusetts Indians. Instead of simply sitting and reacting, the Pilgrims had the courage and bravery to attack first. When the Pilgrims initiated the attack, it scared all of the Indians in the region who subsequently made peace with them. They also showed tremendous courage and resolve in King Philip’s War by chasing down the Native Indians in order to preserve their new home. The Pilgrims were able to successfully plan, travel to, settle, and survive in America solely due to their immense courage.
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick revolves around the theme of community. A group of people decided to take a voyage to separate themselves from King James and his bishops. At first, the separationists tried living in Leiden, Holland because Holland was religiously tolerant but found the risk of “civil unrest and, on occasion, violence” was not worth exposing their family too. The separationist decides to sail to the New World in hopes of building a colony and reform the English church. On their journey, the separationist faced hardships of the beam breaking, seasickness, and the cold. They realized the only way to overcome problems they were facing now and problems in the future was if they worked together. From then on, the separationist realized they were fighting for the same goal of being able to practice puritanism freely within the New World. By overcoming hardships on their voyage and realizing their common goal the colonist began bonding. Once arriving at Plymouth, the colonist began building their community and becoming closer with one another while trying to survive in their new surrounding. The Mayflower Compact also helped build a sense of community by acting as the “"coolheaded and pragmatic resolve" (42). By having this contract, enabled the colonist to rely one another to build a successful community, knowing that without working together could lead to failure. The success of building a community in Plymouth came from the awareness knowing they need each other to create success.
As I read Mayflower, I found war to be the most prevalent theme. Not only did it stand out the most to me, but as I read I noticed that the theme of war often encompassed the other two themes of community and courage. Upon their arrival to New England, the passengers of the Mayflower were well aware of the violent encounters between the Native Americans and European explorers and merchants in the past. As a result, the Pilgrims were reluctant to approach the shore, as they were aware that “huge numbers of hostile Natives might be waiting just a few miles down the cape” (57). When a small group of Pilgrims, including Bradford, Carver, and Standish, took a small shallop to shore, they were immediately assaulted by “at least thirty Indians, ‘although some thought there were many more yet in the dark of the morning” (72). This altercation at what has been named “First Encounter Beach” was just the beginning of the conflict and war between the Natives and the Pilgrims. Although the Pilgrims were eventually able to create an alliance with the Pokanoket tribe, this “created serious problems with the far more powerful Narragansetts” (127). Not only did the Pilgrims come into conflict with the Narragansetts, they often found themselves at war with other Natives, including the Massachusetts tribe and more specifically a Native American named Wituwamat, who became a target of Standish due to his plot to attack the English settlements. As time passed and new generations of Pilgrims and Natives inherited the roles of their parents, the younger Pilgrims “were less willing to treat the Natives with the tolerance and respect their parents had once afforded Massasoit” (201). This disrespect only led to greater conflict with Metacomet, the new leader of the Pokanoket tribe. The earlier Plymouth-Pokanoket alliance quickly disintegrated and disputes over land quickly erupted into a full fledged war, known today as King Phillip’s War, which consisted of three years of brutal fighting between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. It is clear to me that the dominant theme in Mayflower is war, rather than courage or community. The themes of courage and community are often laced throughout Philbrick’s accounts of war and conflict, and examples of courage and community can seldom stand alone, as they are often a result of the most prominent theme of the novel; war.
As orator Robert Green Ingersoll once said, “The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.”
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, is a story of the courage of a desperate people as they encountered inconceivable hardships in their quest to find religious freedom while retaining their cultural integrity. In efforts to find this freedom, the Pilgrims made their way from England to Leiden, Holland. In Holland, they hoped to live their lives free from the jurisdiction of the Church of England, while keeping their English culture intact. However, they soon realized that they could not stay in Holland and remain true Englishmen, for they worried their children were becoming Dutch. Despite the failure of their efforts to live in Leiden, the courage of the Pilgrims remained steadfast and strong. The Pilgrims quickly recovered from this setback and set out on the voyage to the New World, “. . . a stunningly audacious proposition” (5). Embarking on an odyssey to an unknown land in almost intolerable conditions required remarkable bravery on the part of the Pilgrims. After reaching the New World, the Pilgrims encountered more problems; they arrived not at the Hudson River, where their patent from England applied, but at Cape Cod. Ignoring the defeat, they found the strength inside themselves to press on and find a location where they could settle. The Pilgrims faced harsh winters, and their relationship with the natives was unsteady and dangerous at best. In spite of this, the Pilgrims did not turn around and go back to England; they kept their heart and wits about them, and created a society that the New World had never seen before. When King Phillip’s war broke out, the military campaign of the settlers was a total disaster, and the inhabitants of Plymouth failed to be victorious time and time again. However, their courage did not falter. They utilized strategies learned from natives loyal to their cause and finally captured Phillip, ultimately ending the war. Throughout their incredible journey, the Pilgrims’ courage was tested, and though they faced defeat many times, they never lost heart. For this reason, courage is the theme that stands out the most in Mayflower.
After completing the Mayflower, the most pertinent theme is war. Throughout the entire novel there are several brutal battles that shape New England. At the start of the book there is a limited time of peace between the Natives and the English settlers, but it is constantly threatened with the looming fear of war. Once rumors begin to spread coupled with greed over land, disaster strikes. A notable battle, initiated by rumors, was Plymouth’s attack on the Massachusetts tribe. The Pilgrims heard “from an Englishman living with the Indians that the Massachusetts planned to attack both Wessagussett and Plymouth” (147). Fearing for their safety, the English decided they must institute a preemptive strike against the Natives. Standish and his army brutally attacked Wituwamat and Pecksuot, stabbing the two Massachusetts Natives, and then chasing and killing any other Natives they could find. Instead of immediate conflict, Standish could have attempted peaceful conversation with the threatening tribe, avoiding major bloodshed. The Pilgrims immediate display of violence shows how they plan to solve issues in the New World, through warfare. With the Natives turning on one another and the English greedily taking land, more conflict grew. The largest war was started when Philip rose to power as sachem. King Philips war was the most brutal and as Sam stated, it consisted of many pointless acts of violence. After the war ended sixty to eighty percent of the southern New England Natives were decimated changing the New England region forever, and leaving behind the damaging effects that war had on the colonies. Although the Pilgrims showed the ability to collaboratively form a community when working together to form a new colony, and the Natives showed courage defending their land, the wars were what left a lasting impression. As Bella stated before, the theme war also incorporates aspects of the other two themes. While fighting in the war the Natives and Pilgrims showed courage in battle. Each side also possessed a community feel when they were working together to try and win the war. The brutal wars in the Mayflower upset me, making me realize how many problems have the possibility to be fixed without violence.
The fundamental theme in Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, is war because it shows up in many different aspects within the novel, while simultaneously testing the Pilgrims courage and sense of community as they fight these various battles. War is the act of fighting in order to achieve a crucial goal; throughout Mayflower, the Pilgrims are constantly at war battling many different things in order to establish a new life and a thriving settlement. The initial battle the Pilgrims face is a religious war, struggling to break away from the Church of England in search of religious freedom: “The motivating force behind the voyage had come from a congregation of approximately four hundred English Puritans living in Leiden, Holland. Like all Puritans, these English exiles believed that the Church of England must be purged of its many excesses and abuses… they had resolved to draw away from the Church of England… they represented the radical fringe of the Puritan movement.” (4). Together, the Pilgrims set their minds on one goal, which was to escape the Church of England and find freedom in the New World: “By sailing to the New World, they hoped to re-create the English village life they so dearly missed while remaining beyond the meddlesome reach of King James and his bishops.” (5). Throughout Mayflower, the Pilgrims struggle to fight the many battles they encounter while striving to achieve this ultimate goal. Whether it was battling starvation, “without food, the guards began to die at their posts…. ‘I [saw] one man dead before me… and another [man dead] at my right hand and another at my left for want of food’” (147), or unbearable weather conditions like the “little ice age”, the Pilgrims faced severe challenges at the very beginning of their journey. Hardships like these challenged their sense of community, and at times caused them to be at war with each other. For example, the Pilgrims turned against each other due to their hunger for land: “a growing hunger for land… ‘not for want or necessity,’ but ‘for the enriching of themselves,’ and [Bradford] predicted it would be the ‘ruin of New England’.’” (185). Despite these pressing battles that tested the Pilgrim community, the largest and most evident war they fought throughout Mayflower was against the Native Americans. Between the First Encounter in 1620 when Miles Standish and his men were attacked by 30 Indians in the beginning of Mayflower, and the assassination of King Philip ending King Philip’s War in 1676 at the end of Mayflower, the Pilgrims were never at rest with the Native Americans. Throughout Mayflower, the Pilgrims never stopped fighting; whether they were battling disease, starvation, nature, the Native Americans or even themselves, they were constantly at war. Not only did this constant war bring the Pilgrims closer together as a community, it also brought them closer to achieving their ultimate goal of establishing a thriving settlement and a new life in America.
The most prevalent theme in Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, is courage. Although war and community are also main themes in this novel, courage can be applied to all aspects of the book. In the early stages of the novel, the Pilgrims or separatists break away from the Church of England in search of religious freedom. This move was extremely bold and daring because, if caught, they could have been thrown in jail or even executed. Courageously, these separatists left their stable lives behind in England in search of religious freedom in the new world, which they knew little to nothing about. Many men boarded the Mayflower and Speedwell on a treacherous journey to America, leaving their wives and children behind and knowing they may never see each other again. When the Pilgrims arrived in the New World, they faced a number of daunting obstacles. After a long and strenuous journey, the pilgrims were short on food and resources and winter was fast approaching. The Pilgrims were also scared and nervous about Native Americans lurking around in nearby forests. With problems mounting, the Pilgrims forged on and tried to put up a small settlement before the brunt of winter hit. When a few Indians showed up at the Pilgrims settlement, the dangers that lurked were apparent however the Pilgrims were fearless and spoke with the Natives. The Pilgrims soon developed a strong relationship with the Natives, in particular with their leader, Massasoit. The natives helped them grow food, hunt and learn how to live in America. Without the Pilgrims being incredibly courageous, they would not have made the journey to the New World or had been nearly as successful as they were.
War was the theme which stood out to me the most while reading Mayflower. This was due to several reasons, the most obvious being the literal war, King Philip’s War, for which Part IV of Mayflower is named. Aside from the actual conflict, war was a dominant theme in Mayflower in earlier sections of the book because of ongoing tensions between the European settlers and various Native American tribes. The complicated systems of alliances between various groups and individuals (e.g. Winslow and Massasoit, Squanto and Bradford, Benjamin Church and the Sakonnets) caused war to perpetually seem on the horizon. Mere months after the Pilgrims’ arrival in America, a “mounting fear of Indian attack” (90) was felt. Alliances could be broken at any moment by either party, leading to a universal fear of warfare and betrayal.
While reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s novel Mayflower, I noticed that the theme of community stood out the most. From the beginning of the novel, those aboard the Mayflower have formed a community. The Pilgrims chose a governor, Governor Carver, and were starting to discover how they work best as a group. During their time in Plymouth, to accomplish a goal they had to work together as a community. When they desired to stay safe and protected, the Pilgrims worked together to move tree trunks and bark to create a ring around their buildings. By doing so, they came together to work towards a goal of peace with the Native American communities near by. Another interesting aspect to how their community worked, was that if a smaller part of the community set of to accomplish something, it would help the entire community. One example of this is when Winslow put his efforts into Pokanoket. By doing this, Winslow was able to get Massasoit back onto their side, having Massasoit on their side would help protect the rest of the Pilgrim community. Although I noticed that community was the most prominent theme in the novel, I did notice a large amount of courage and war. Every single Pilgrim was filled with with courage. They left a land they considered home and came somewhere new to restart their entire lives. Some more courageous than others, such as the Pilgrim’s leaders and strong fighters. War was also a common theme. The day Standish invited Wituwamat and Pecksuot into a settlement house was one of the times war was at its peak. Standish brought the Natives in for a feast and killed them and the others with them. Standish came to a point of making a decision “to kill any Indians who happened to be with them.” (pg. 152) I realized that community stood out the most because in their community they had courage and they had war. Courage and war were just factors into their being a group, bound together by where the come from and the land they now are considering home.
While reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme of courage stood out the most in my mind. From the very beginning the Pilgrims faced difficulties that they would have to persevere through. Throughout their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean the Pilgrims we plagued with bad weather, sickness, and ship problems. In addition, they were nearing winter as they ran out of firewood and rationed their last drops of water and beer. On top of all that there was no certainty that the ship would even make it to America. The Pilgrims were determined to obtain religious freedom. They were willing to endure the crossing of the Atlantic and they had the courage to settle in America regardless of the struggle of previous settlements. For example, the Jamestown settlement whose population was cut in half after the first year. The Pilgrims left everything they had in Europe in an all put effort to settle in America. Once the grueling voyage was only the beginning of the Pilgrims' struggle. After arriving in America they would immediately have to begin finding food and building shelter. As the colonies before them had experienced there would be many deaths in the first year. The courage and determination of the Pilgrims kept them from giving up and going back to Europe. Constant fighting and competition with Native Americans made life for the Pilgrims even more difficult. As a result of previous European actions such as enslaving Native Americans there was hatred growing in the minds of the Natives. Animosity towards the Europeans led to countless attacks on settlers. In addition to the attacks the Pilgrims and Native Americans also competed for the food in the area. It took a lot of courage for the Pilgrims to trust and work with the Natives. For example, when they trusted Squanto as the interpreter. They put their trust in Squanto and had no way to tell if he was lying to them. The courage of the Pilgrims allowed them to persevere and settle in America despite many tough times.
Although war and community were important themes in Philbrick's Mayflower, courage was the theme that stuck out to me the most. The men and women aboard the Mayflower left their lives behind in England, all for religious freedom. The living conditions on the ship were anything but ideal, disease was sure to spread, and the most terrifying aspect of the trip was that nobody was there to meet them at the other side, besides the Natives. They had to completely start over, if that's not bravery I don't know what is. Not only was the Pilgrims' courage present when they crossed the Atlantic, it was also a theme once they struck land at Plymouth. In order to prevent being attacked by Native tribes, the Pilgrims had to make a statement, striking fear into the hearts of their enemies. When Standish and Hobbanock led the trip to Nemasket to find Corbitant, that's exactly what they had on their minds. Once they arrived there, Standish "burst" into Corbitant's wigwam, shouting his name. He actually wasn't there at the time, but the people who were "were too terror-stricken to speak" (115). This act of courage and power gave the Pilgrims a better reputation with the natives. They were more scared to attack the Pilgrims, so the Pilgrims had more time to build up Plymouth. Without courageous acts like these, the Pilgrims' future in America would've been short.
Among the themes in Mayflower courage is the most potent. Not only did it take an immense amount of courage for the Pilgrims to leave their home of England, but it is also seen throughout story. The Pilgrims courageously defied the King, but not without their issues. The original Separatists or Pilgrims were people “who were willing to endure almost anything if it meant they could worship as they please”(4), in fact the leaders of the group spent multiple months in jail. This did not deter them from audaciously trying again, and leaving behind friends and family to pursue religious freedom. Once they reached the New World the problems did not subside. Coming to shore at Cape Cod when their patent was issued for the Hudson River area was one thing, but staying there showed great courage. Going against the English government again they stayed on Cape Cod. Running low on food and supplies, with many of the people on board fighting illness, some of the most courageous men went ashore to find more sustenance. Finding a supply of Native corn and stealing it did not start the Pilgrims off on a good foot with the Native Americans. When King Philip's war erupted the people of Plymouth colonies were rarely victorious, but that did not stop them from pushing on and coming out on top by courageously asking groups of friendly Indians for their assistance. Through ups and downs in the relationship between the Englishmen and the Natives, both parties showed great courage. In contempt of the harsh winter, their rocky relationship with the natives and constant diseases the people of the New England Colonies did not abandon their courage, making it the most predominant theme of the book.
Community is a primary theme in Nathaniel Philbrick’s The Mayflower. While most stories focus on the journey of one individual, the “protagonist” of The Mayflower is a community of people. Joined together by a common desire to better their lives, the group of pilgrims faced hardships and obstacles together while keeping in mind the communal goal to find a safe home in which their religious practices can be ensued. In the beginning of the novel, we learn about a close group of Puritans living in Holland. The Puritans shared the same passion for their religion and “had no use for the Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer, since it tampered with the original meaning of the Bible and inhibited the spontaneity that they felt was essential to attained a true and honest glimpse of the divine” (8-9). This shared passion is what ultimately drives this group of individuals to bond together in order to escape persecution and achieve religious freedom in America. When the Pilgrims arrive in America, they interact, trade, and develop new traditions accustomed by the Native American “Pokanoket Tribe”. While the Native Americans were teaching the English to plant seeds and hunt animals, the English had more innovative tools and inventions that helped enhance the Indians rustic capabilities. The English and Native Americans were thus able to bring differing skill sets to the table in order to improve each others’ lives within their communities. As long as the pilgrims and Indians were dependent upon each other, both communities would continue to succeed in the New World.
Mayflower ultimately tells the story of two communities colliding and how they deal with the aftermath. The Pilgrims would have never survived the voyage to the New World, nor the year of hardship and suffering when they reached New England, if they had not been a tight knit community. The “Strangers” (Philbrick 40) who travelled to the New World on the Mayflower with the hopes of making a profit worried the Pilgrims as they would all have to live in a settlement together despite their differences; but even the “Strangers recognized that the only way for the settlement to succeed financially was if everyone worked together” (Philbrick 40). Likewise, each Native American village worked together with other villages in their tribe. King Philip’s war caused even the tribes in New England to join together and form a “group of Nipmucks, Pokanokets, Pocassets, Narragansetts, and Connecticut River valley Indians” (Philbrick 301) to fight against the Europeans. While each of these separate peoples had their own communities, the natives and the Europeans would form relationships throughout this period of history. During the first years of Plymouth the local natives became friendly with the Pilgrims, and “Massasoit’s decision to offer them assistance had saved the Pilgrims’ lives” (Philbrick 119). Over time this harmonious relationship became strained resulting in the King Philip’s War where once again Native Americans would join in communities and alliances with the Pilgrims, only to fight their fellow tribes.
Throughout the book Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the most prevalent theme I noticed was community. As others have discussed, the pilgrims had to form an unbreakable community to survive in America, and even to get there. Even the “strangers” had to be tolerated and incorporated in to life on the ship and in the colony, and the Pilgrims managed to do it with great success, despite minor issues with certain people’s beliefs or attitudes. One such person was a nameless “proud and very profane young” (30) sailor who made the Pilgrim’s journey practically unbearable. However they did not retaliate and, ironically, he was the first to die of disease on the journey. The Pilgrims formed a tight community, but I also noticed that the Natives displayed this quality extensively as well. Each tribe, whether working with or against the pilgrims worked together as a tight unit with very little infighting, excluding a few individuals, such as Squanto. Even more noticeably, during King Phillip’s war “Indian’s from across New England banded together” (298) to fight for their ancestral land. Admittedly, some tribes did join the Pilgrim’s side, however the tribes who did cooperate worked well together until their loss was inevitable and their strategy began to disintegrate. From the beginning of the Mayflower, Philbrick highlights the bonds that form each community fighting for survival in America.
In the novel Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the most noticeable theme to me was courage. The Pilgrims had to overcome many hardships and times of darkness throughout the story. From the very beginning of their journey, all odds were against them. The sixty-five day voyage across the Atlantic had a toll on the Pilgrims. The ship was rampant with disease and food and water supply was extremely low. To add to the horrid conditions of the ship, the Pilgrims had no idea what was in store for them when they did reach land. Nevertheless, these dreadful circumstances were not enough to break the Pilgrims’ courage and they eventually reached Cape Cod. Throughout the novel the Natives outnumbered the English. The Natives knew the land and its surroundings better than the Pilgrims and had more effective war tactics. However, this did not make the Pilgrims sit in fear and suck their thumbs. The Pilgrims’ courage would lead them to many victories led by commanders like Church, Standish, Bradford, etc. In many instances the English would be near defeat, but their courage ridden souls continued to fight till the very last bullet left the muskets. If the Pilgrims hadn’t possessed the great deal of courage they did, America would not be what it is today.
In the novel Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the most noticeable theme to me was courage. The Pilgrims had to overcome many hardships and times of darkness throughout the story. From the very beginning of their journey, all odds were against them. The sixty-five day voyage across the Atlantic had a toll on the Pilgrims. The ship was rampant with disease and food and water supply was extremely low. To add to the horrid conditions of the ship, the Pilgrims had no idea what was in store for them when they did reach land. Nevertheless, these dreadful circumstances were not enough to break the Pilgrims’ courage and they eventually reached Cape Cod. Throughout the novel the Natives outnumbered the English. The Natives knew the land and its surroundings better than the Pilgrims and had more effective war tactics. However, this did not make the Pilgrims sit in fear and suck their thumbs. The Pilgrims’ courage would lead them to many victories led by commanders like Church, Standish, Bradford, etc. In many instances the English would be near defeat, but their courage ridden souls continued to fight till the very last bullet left the muskets. If the Pilgrims hadn’t possessed the great deal of courage they did, America would not be what it is today.
Throughout reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, I found the theme of courage to stand out the most. The Pilgrims needed this trait of courage to not only bring them to the New World, but to survive once they had arrived. In order to go to the New World, the Pilgrims had to leave behind everything for a new start, where they could freely practice their beliefs at the cost of completely rebuilding their lives. These separatists from Leiden were unusual in the fact that they were families, “willing to endure almost anything if it meant they could worship as they pleased”(4). The Pilgrims had heard of the terrors of the Indians and the settlers of Jamestown, but still had the courage to go to the New World anyways. After subjecting themselves to the treacherous journey across the Atlantic Ocean, the Pilgrims had to submerge themselves into their unknown surroundings until finally coming across Plymouth. Even after encountering the Indians and learning their willingness to fight, the Pilgrims were still set on colonizing. They held onto this courage to keep going throughout, and the bravery did not waver as King Philip’s War broke out. The Pilgrims were at many disadvantages, but they still used everything they had to fight for themselves. Even after countless losses, the Pilgrims never let go of the courage that brought them to the New World, and this is why I believe that courage is the most prominent theme in Mayflower.
In my opinion, war is the predominant theme of Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick. Throughout the book, bloodshed is consistently prevalent amongst the various groups in New England, from the Pilgrims' initial arrival in 1620, to the end of the King Philip's War in 1676. Upon the Europeans' arrival, their attempt to build a stable society, free of religious intolerance, creates immense conflict for the natives, who see the newcomers as an invasive species. Due to prior unfortunate encounters with Europeans, the natives immediately perceive the Pilgrims as ruthless troublemakers and do not give them the benefit of the doubt. In addition, their disrespectful actions, such as stealing "as much corn as [will] fit into a kettle" and digging up native burial sites, fail to give a good first impression and assure the natives that they are as troublesome as previous foreign merchants and explorers (93). For this reason, when the natives and a small group of Pilgrims finally come face to face, at "First Encounter Beach in Eastham," the Pilgrims are attacked by "at least thirty Indians" and "suddenly the air [is] filled with arrows" (102-103). From this point on the Pilgrims felt "it was clear that goodwill was going to be difficult to find" and knew warfare was inescapable. While reading the book I felt as though there was always warfare occurring, practically regardless of people's actions, whether it was amongst the various native tribes, amongst the various European groups, or between the two. In my opinion, the Pilgrims' failure to create trustworthy relationships with all the natives, and failure to maintain the few temporary ones they did develop, led to the consistent warfare that took place throughout the book. This is because sturdy alliances and relationships are vital to foreign settlers, who run the risk of being seen as invaders by existent inhabitants, who share common characteristics and motives, and tend to fight together, to prevent conquest of their land. The Pilgrims' betrayals of various tribes and sachems, such as their rumored kidnapping of Massasoit, immediately got them in trouble with other tribes whom had connections to, and common characteristics with, the other. Although many sources of warfare in the book consisted of small scale fighting that amounted to few deaths, large scale warfare also led to hundreds of deaths. For example, the Pequot War of 1637 amounted to the deaths of "approximately four hundred Pequot men, women, and children," and introduced New England to "the horrors of European genocide" (237). Also, the Great Swamp Fight amounted to the deaths and casualties of “somewhere between 350 and 600 Native men, women, and children,” and eighty of [the] three hundred [English] soldiers," which is "more than 20 percent" (365). Lastly, during the King Philip's War, "Plymouth Colony lost close to 8 percent of its men," and 8,000 of the 20,000 natives were killed, injured, shipped off as slaves, or fled. Throughout the book the English repeatedly went out of their way to kill off natives, (and vise versa) in order to develop and maintain a large, strong, and powerful society in New England, and got themselves into warfare. Consequently, overall, despite their accomplishments and advances, both the newcomers and natives experienced harsh set backs and multiple deaths. I think war is the main theme of the book because even though courage and community are heavily portrayed as well, warfare is practically unavoidable throughout, and it encompasses the two sub-themes; the courage the English and natives display in the New World is mostly in warefare, and the strength of their communities is what leads to their evident success or failure in war.
In my opinion, the predominant theme in Philbrick’s Mayflower, is community because without the common interest of those who were in search of a better life, the colonization of the New World would not have been a success. The Mayflower had two distinct groups of people: the “Seperatists” and the “Strangers.” “The Strangers recognized that the only way for the settlement to succeed financially was if everyone worked together.” (40) This initial bond shows the sense of community the passengers started out with before the even reached the shore that was the basis of their society. Also before the landed the passengers made a “binding agreement…know as the Mayflower Compact.” (40) This compact prevented any disunion between the Strangers and the Pilgrims, which allowed them to work together when they reached the island. Community is also relevant when there was tension between the Englishmen and Massasoit and the Pokanoket tribe. Instead of it escalating to violence, Massasoit, Bradford, and Winslow sat down and made a peace treaty. The treaty again unified the tribe and the Pilgrims and created a sense of community between them. Lastly, when boundaries between colonies were being disputed and powerful Indians were learning to “exploit the needs and fears of both the English and the Indians,” (180) the United Colonies of New England arose. The union allowed each colony to have a delegate to represent it so issues could be worked out, thus strengthening the sense of community in the region. I believe that without the predominant theme of community throughout Mayflower, our history would no be the same.
While reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme community stood out to me the most. In the beginning of their journey across the Atlantic 102 people bravely united together as one. While courage was definitely important, the English men and women could not have made their journey without the love, support, and help from their fellow voyagers. After their arrival, their first winter in the New World was soon to come. With little to no resources left, or time to farm and harvest crops, they had to pool their resources for survival. In order to become a stable unit, the Pilgrims came together to create what is known as the Mayflower Compact. They created a government that had everyone in agreement. They would become a political body and “all agree to submit to the laws drawn up by their duly elected officials” (41). After a government was loosely secured, the brutal first winter arrived. During their first winter, forty-five of the 102 passengers died. Although nearly half of their working force was gone, “seven houses were built in the first year, plus another four buildings for common use” (84). Using strength and determination they combined their efforts in order to live. For the first year especially, but also for the years to come, the self-serving “every man for himself” lifestyle was simply not an option for the Pilgrims in this new and unknown land. Additionally, with the rise of threat from rival Native leaders “it was important that the English colonies attempt to act as a unified body” (180). One of the key factors that united the Pilgrims was their heritage, particularly religion. During King Philip’s War, Mary Rowlandson finds comfort in the line from Deuteronomy; “though we were scattered from one end of the earth to the other, yet the Lord would gather us together” (202). The common faith shared by everyone was one of the strongest bonds that connected the Pilgrims. As a result of the harmony between the Pilgrims, they thrived at their new settlement. Therefore, I believe that community was the most common theme in the book.
In Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower, the theme of courage is continuously shown to be a catalyst of the events in the lives of the Pilgrims and other early Americans. From the very beginning, the Pilgrims showed their courage through their actions. When they were being persecuted in England, their community picked up and moved to Leiden, Holland, without knowing a soul in the city. Twelve years later, they realized that they weren’t happy with their lives in Leiden, and decided to venture where few had gone before: the New World. Many would have given up, but the Pilgrims courageously sold what they had and endured a long journey across the ocean filled with set-backs and hardship.
With their courage, the Pilgrims showed others in Europe that it was possible to create a settlement in the New World. Not many could survive in freezing conditions with little food and the constant threat of an attack by the Natives, but the Pilgrims overcame these obstacles. If it hadn’t been for the courage and success of the Pilgrims, other groups wouldn’t have attempted settlements in New England. Because of the success of the Pilgrims, New England soon became a thriving society.
Courage was a major theme in the last part of the book, focused on King Philip’s War. One specific example is Benjamin Church. From the beginning, Church showed his courage by building his home in an area extremely close to the Sakonnet tribe and isolated from other colonists. This allowed him to befriend the Sakonnets, which would later be key in his role in the King Philip’s War. Church showed his courage when he stood up to Colony officials and moved his family to territory in Rhode Island, and again when he led a haphazard group of men into battle during the Great Swamp Fight. Church’s courage and bravery created great morale throughout the war, and when he finally brought down Philip, Church proved that courage and quickness can win a war against the odds.
Whilst reading Mayflower, it is evident that war is the largest factor contributing to how America came to be to this day. From the moment the Pilgrims set up their rest and landed on Plymouth rock, their main course of action was to ultimately conquer and destroy. One of the first real attacks on the Natives was “Standish’s terrifying whirlwind of violence” (153) where blood was shed to no end. With Standish’s goal to kill as many Natives as he could, we see the white supremacy increasingly take shape and form among the Pilgrims. This attack on Wessagussett more or less ignited the flame of the everlasting conflict between the two groups, which later transcends into King Philip's War in 1675. The Natives give their last and final effort to drive the English settlers out of America, proving that from the very beginning until the very end, the notion of warfare was a constant threat for both colonists and Natives.
Although Olivia makes a valid point about the prominence of war in New England during the 17th century, personally the concept of community stood out the most. The sense of community among the settlers, is essentially what allowed them to overcome their collective struggles, even when it seemed they should not have been able to. The Pilgrims had numerous obstacles thrown at them at once, many battles to overcome, and without a strong sense of community between themselves and some of the natives, the story would have been vastly different.
Evidently, the Pilgrims and the natives did not possess many similarities, other than the land they shared. Even so, they were able to band together in times of need in order to ensure their survival. Eleven months prior to the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims arrived at the tip of Cape Cod, most of them feeling rather fearful and unsure of what might happen. Philbrick states, "by all rights, none of the Pilgrims should have emerged from the first winter alive" (119). It is also mentioned that the Pilgrims easily could have sought out a strict policy of isolationism, shutting the natives out completely. Albeit the Pilgrims and the natives certainly engaged in a multitude of wars throughout the years, the Pilgrims essentially saved themselves by participating in the "diplomatic process in southern New England" (119). In this sense, they became actively involved in the community, sending Winslow and Hopkins to Sowams, reimbursing the Nausets for the corn, and by pledging their loyalty to Massasoit in Nemasket. Not only that, but the first Thanksgiving, arguably the most recognized event from this point in history, embodies the notion of community. I am not denying the fact that war was a prominent theme, but rather stating that personally, the strong sense of community resonated more with me after reading Mayflower. The Pilgrims worked with the natives when they could, and they also worked with each other to accomplish their goals, proving that above all, their loyalty to each other is what allowed Plymouth Colony to last.
As with many of my classmates, the theme of war is the most prevalent in Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower. Although the original goal for the Pilgrims as they traveled to the New World was to create a society free of religious intolerance and secularity, it became apparent that it was necessary to adapt to the native way of life in order to survive. Unfortunately as the Pilgrims were dragged into more and more native conflict, skirmishes led to battles and battles led to a full scale pan-indian war against the Pilgrims and their allies. Although courage and community were both essential to the book, but Mayflower chose to focus on the broken alliances created by the second generation of Pilgrims more than the courage of the first winter and the travel across the Atlantic. As for community, the first generation of Pilgrims was able to make a pure community. However, the second generation of Pilgrims with the introduction of the puritans created a tense society which ruined native ties and led to war; so much for a healthy community. Warfare is the only subtheme able to encompass the other two, and is the most prevalent theme in Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower.
The main theme of Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower is war. From the first interaction to the end of King Philip's War, the relationship between Pilgrims and Native Americans is defined by conflict. One of the first structures built in the new world was the beginnings of a fort. “On the morning of thursday, december 28, they turned their attention to the high hill, where they began to construct a wooden platform on which to mount various cannons they had brought with them aboard the Mayflower.” (Philbrick 84). The first actions of the Pilgrims is in preparation of war which set the tone for the rest of history in the new world. At the end of Mayflower, the conflict resolves with the mounting of the last two great indian war generals' heads on pikes outside of Plymouth. Although courage and community are shown, they are expressed in the actions of war heroes and the teamwork of community in a wartime situation. Therefore, war stands out the most because it is seen throughout the book and it is what drives the other two themes.
While reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s novel Mayflower, I noticed that the theme of war stuck out to me the most. From the beginning of the novel the Pilgrims left everything behind in Europe to start to fight the war for their religious freedom. They were willing to risk everything they had to fight for a common goal. The war only continued to rage when the Pilgrims were aboard the Mayflower; however, not with the King himself this time, but with extremely horrific living conditions on the ship. Upon arrival in America the Pilgrims were faced with hostile Indians who were ready to defend their land at all costs. The Pilgrims soon realized they must come together and build an army to fight a war with some of the Native population. The Pilgrims had a great strategic and brave commander who led them into battle, “For the next six hours Moseley and his men put up a tremendous fight. Scorning the Natives’ scattered style of warfare, Moseley ordered his vastly outnumbered men to remain together as a unit as they marched back and forth through the Natives’ ranks firing relentlessly…. The next day, sixty-four Englishmen were buried in a single mass grave”(262). The horacities of war are undeniable, however, the war the Pilgrims started by leaving Europe years before is too great not to fight against the Indians. The Pilgrims are willing to sacrifice everything to keep the common goal of religious freedom that they are fighting for.
After having finished The Mayflower, it seems that the theme of war was the most dominant. When the white religious fanatics first arrived on the continent, which was inhabited by an entirely foreign and full people, war was a possibility and a threat that immediately made itself evident and ever-present. The white invaders, having arrived with weapons and foreign ideals and foreign aims, set the stage for conflict; they brought any future conflict upon themselves. Thrusting yourself into another peoples’ land is not something that cannot be done without any violent repercussions; whether immediate or potential or gradual. The arrival of the white people, and the establishment of their various permanent settlements across New England, furthermore, drove the indigenous people to have conflict amongst themselves; as a new political entity shows up in the Natives’ realm of life, some Natives chose to align themselves with the white newcomers or some chose to confront and fight the white newcomers. Additionally, the white man’s close-minded and usually bigoted religious views would only lead to war. The whites’ reference to the Natives as heathens and beasts, an obvious indication to the white peoples’ views of the supposed inferiority of the natives, is something that brings forth the concept of war. All conflict derives from the perspective of one faction which views itself as better in its goals and intentions or more fit in its existence than the opposing other. The very existence of America today is a testament to how war dominates the story of the conceiving (not birth) of this nation (which is literally what Nathaniel Philbrick’s book is about). The entitled, racist, religious, and prideful attitude that the white invaders had, which was thoroughly described in the book, and the vast conflicts between the natives and the whites; like King Phillip’s War, clearly shows that war is the most outstanding theme of this history and book. Also, war is not something exclusive to humans versus humans. It seems that a form of war was fought between the relentless forces of nature and the humans, both white and Native. The trip of the original Pilgrims in and of itself was a war; the harsh ocean battled with the will and the physical strength of the journeyers. Then, such as the first winters that the Pilgrims had to suffer through or the diseases that the white invaders brought to the Natives, the war between man and nature is constant throughout this book. In conclusion, whether it was the constant potential or present conflict between the different peoples or the consistent struggle of humanity versus nature, this book is dominated by the theme of war.
As I read, the theme that stands out to me the most in Mayflower is courage. The story starts with a group of people who had to move to the unknown but promising lands if they wanted to preach however they wanted to. As a person who knows what it is to move to a completely new and different place, I have an idea of what fear they must have felt while preparing for their journey. Even with death and disease surrounding them, with lack of provisions and the weather's inconstancy, they have not given up for what the came here. Whether it was the Natives or the wilderness, the Pilgrims dealt with the troubles that were coming their way in a forward manner. The courage of many has supported the settlements through their first years in America, but the courage of some individuals was what helped the most. For example, when their first ally sachem Massasoit was taken by the Narragansetts, the Pilgrims lent their warriors to help rescue him from a far greater in number tribe. Much later, when Massasoit's son Philip started a war against the English, the courage and the quick mind of Benjamin Church helped to unite some of the former enemy tribes into one army to fight the Pokanoket sachem.
Like many of my peers, I found that war was the most predominant theme in Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower. As soon as the Pilgrims set foot in America, they had a self-centered, conflict-ready mindset, and they made the decision to put their own wellbeing ahead of peace with the natives. In their desperation to survive during their first weeks in the New World, Miles Standish and his men “decided that they had no choice but to take the corn”(64) that the natives had buried at Corn Hill. They promised themselves to leave gifts for the natives to compensate for the stolen maize; however, peace with the natives clearly was not at the forefront of their minds, because they never came through on their word. Later in the story, Standish and his men attacked Thomas Morton’s settlement at Merrymount. In the attack, the Pilgrims fought viciously, and “‘fell upon [Morton] as if they would have eaten him’”(164), leading him “to question who were now the true savages in this land”(164). As this event shows, the Pilgrims’ aggression and warlike attitude were not just directed towards those who were racially different; anyone who was not a pious, modest Christian of European descent was at risk of an attack. Finally, at the end of the story, these tensions culminated in King Philip’s War, a costly and brutal conflict with numerous casualties.
I found that the theme of courage was the most prominent throughout Philbrick’s Mayflower. The Pilgrims' had a special drive and determination to not only disobey the Church of England and live by their own rules, but also to stay alive and prosper through the harsh conditions and situations they experienced. “For sixty-five days, the Mayflower had blundered her way through storms and headwinds…” (3) As the novel begins, courage is shown immediately through the Pilgrim’s journey from England to Massachusetts. Aware that “all other attempts to establish a permanent English settlement on the North American continent had so far failed” (5), the Pilgrims still set off to succeed and create a new life in which they could worship freely. While on the journey to New England, the Pilgrim’s experienced several hardships such as shortages of food, firewood and water, diseases traveling throughout, a few deaths, and a harsh winter ahead. Yet, the Pilgrims did not turn around, for their passion and courage to worship freely was too strong.
Upon arriving in New England, the Pilgrims’ notice the land is not very promising. Struggling to find food, fertile land, and in competition with the Native Americans, this new life did not seem too great for the Pilgrims. Overcoming these hardships was essential to the Pilgrims’ success in creating a new life. Through courage and willpower, the Pilgrims approached the Indians, making agreements and friendships with he Natives, such as the Pokanokets and Massasoit, enabling them to be successful in building an organized and well-run community. Having the courage to overcome these hardships and create a good relationship with the Native Americans empowered the Pilgrims to have success and prosper when creating a new life.
The theme of courage stood out the most to me throughout the Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. Despite his efforts, William Bradford ultimately failed in making his ideal community of saints, and as we know, a peaceful coexistence with the natives was not achieved. War was a large part of the novel; however, the first few decades, some might say the most important ones, of Plymouth colony were mostly peaceful. Meanwhile, courage was a theme consistent throughout the entire book. From the very beginning, the passengers of The Mayflower had to have been very brave to leave everything behind and sail for the unknown. Many of the Pilgrims even sold all of their property to fund the voyage, which shows complete dedication to their cause. Once in the New World, the Pilgrims had no experience with surviving in such wild conditions, and knew that they could not do so on their own. Philbrick says that if they had been arrogant and kept a policy of religious isolation, they would have died during that first year. But they didn’t. They were brave enough to let go of some of their religious doctrines in order to adapt to their new environment, and accept help from the natives. Courage was seen in people like Bradford, who continued to be a strong leader despite leaving his son, and the deaths of his wife, Squanto, and Pastor Robinson. Courage was seen everywhere during King Philip’s War, be it in the warriors who continued to fight even when there was no hope, or in the constant supply of volunteer soldiers who would follow their captain anywhere. Benjamin Church was a constant example of courage, giving his soldiers hope even against impossible odds, like in the Pease Field Fight. Church’s use of unconventional methods and his tendency to attack even when greatly outnumbered were major factors of the English victory. Philbrick states that in the centuries following Plymouth, America would be shaped by a new kind of people: brave frontiersmen like Benjamin Church.
Surprisingly, I found the theme of war most prevalent. While this only surfaced in a few key events, such as The Pilgrim attacks on the Massachusetts, war is always prevalent in the background. This is true of relations between all settlements and villages in the book, both English and Native. When The Pilgrims first arrive on North American soil, one of their top priorities is avoiding conflict with the Native Americans. To the best of their abilities, the settlers do everything they can to deter war; This begins with reimbursing those that they had stolen from, and eventually surfaces as more diplomatic agreements with Massasoit. Their relationship with Massasoit eventually informs them on an imminent assault on their settlement, prompting them to attack the Massachusetts and their allies. Before The Mayflower even lay anchor in Plymouth, there was a power struggle in the region completely separate from The English. Each Native American tribe, including the Pokanokets, was at odds with each other. Additionally, it is later learned that Squanto planned to gain control of The Cape, and hence become the most powerful sachem in the region. Through manipulation of both the Pokanokets and The Pilgrims, he planned to rid the area of all opposing tribes, then overthrow Massasoit and gain control of the Pokanokets. Behind every action in Mayflower, war persists as a consideration.
Surprisingly, I found the theme of war most prevalent. While this only surfaced in a few key events, such as The Pilgrim attacks on the Massachusetts, war is always prevalent in the background. This is true of relations between all settlements and villages in the book, both English and Native. When The Pilgrims first arrive on North American soil, one of their top priorities is avoiding conflict with the Native Americans. To the best of their abilities, the settlers do everything they can to deter war; This begins with reimbursing those that they had stolen from, and eventually surfaces as more diplomatic agreements with Massasoit. Their relationship with Massasoit eventually informs them on an imminent assault on their settlement, prompting them to attack the Massachusetts and their allies. Before The Mayflower even lay anchor in Plymouth, there was a power struggle in the region completely separate from The English. Each Native American tribe, including the Pokanokets, was at odds with each other. Additionally, it is later learned that Squanto planned to gain control of The Cape, and hence become the most powerful sachem in the region. Through manipulation of both the Pokanokets and The Pilgrims, he planned to rid the area of all opposing tribes, then overthrow Massasoit and gain control of the Pokanokets. Behind every action in Mayflower, war persists as a consideration.
After reading Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme that I perceived to stand out the most was community. The Pilgrims had to develop a strong sense of community to reach and survive in America, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able endure the journey. The Pilgrims were able to remain together and even become tolerant of “strangers.” This communal sense made life on the ship and in the colony easier to bear, despite issues with different people. One issue being that, “the sailors took great delight in mocking the sufferings of their charges.’ (30) These sailors made the Pilgrim’s journey less than pleasing. However they didn’t ever get back at their tormentors. In fact one of the first to die was one of these sailors. This demonstrates how their close community remained close despite being ostracized by many other people. The Pilgrims formed a strong community which allowed them to cooperate throughout the voyage and survive in the colony. Throughout the Mayflower, Philbrick demonstrates how the Pilgrim’s sense of community allowed them to survive in America.
From start to finish of Mayflower, one theme that always stood out to me was that of community. Before they even ventured to the New World their community was brought together by the search for religious freedom. On their journey across the Atlantic Ocean the need for community and structure was a main topic. The Pilgrims sat down and developed some basic framework of how to keep them together on the Mayflower an when they arrive on land. When they arrived in the New World all they had at first was each other. It became easier to settle down as bonds were created and others such as "strangers" were tolerated. War was very prevalent throughout Mayflower as well but the Pilgrims were able to withstand it and survive due to their strong community. Their community is what held them together and allowed them to survive which would eventually grow into the America we live in today
Throughout the course of the book Mayflower by Nathanial Philbrick, the theme of courage is apparent. Fleeing everything they knew to pursue their religious freedom, the Pilgrims made a courageous move to the New World. The Pilgrims had no way to know if they would succeed in their pursuit. They suffered long, hard months at sea, dying looking for a better life. However, "adversity seemed to intensify their clannish commitment to one another" (17), furthermore proving that the Pilgrims began their journey with bravery and resilience. Not only that, but it took courage for both the Native Americans and the Pilgrims to trust each other initially and come to terms with a set of agreements. Neither knew the intentions of the other group, but courageously trusted each other, at least for a short time. Not only did the Pilgrims deal with political and religious turmoil, but emotional pain as well. Many died on their hunt for a better life, and dealing with the deaths of family and friends, in addition to establishing a community, is a situation that undoubtedly could not be handled without courage. Without courage, the Pilgrims would never have sailed to the New World, making it the most prevalent theme of Mayflower by Nathanial Philbrick.
Throughout Mayflower, Philbrick attempts to instill a sense of community in the early history of colonial America by discussing a variety of disparate events through the lens of the interactions of individuals rather than politics and economics. Prior to their departure, the Pilgrims were a group best described as a community- they were “knit together as a body in a most strict and sacred bond” (6). Throughout the rest of the book, this sense is maintained through such asides as that about Edward Winslow’s marriage (104) and Bradford’s personal misfortunes (187). This is compounded by the continuing focus on individuals. Prior to 1630, this was very reasonable; Plymouth had a very modest population and thus its fortunes depended largely on the acts and opinions of specific people. After this point, and certainly going into King Phillip’s War, the focus on people such as Church, Moseley, and Rowlandson exemplify the intent, rather than necessity driving this angle. Thus the theme of community is expressed most clearly, by nature in the first section, and by design from there on.
In my view, courage is the most apparent theme in the novel Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. If the Pilgrims had one consistency in their life it was faith. The Pilgrims faith drove them to do many courageous things. The most obvious act of courage was leaving their homes in search of a land where they could worship in peace, and not be persecuted for their particular faith. They faced many obstacles on their journey including horrendous physical challenges, including starvation and disease. The conditions on the ship were horrid, but the unknown of the this new place the Pilgrims were traveling to is, in my opinion, the most frightening aspect of the journey. Imagine traveling on a ship, where disease ruled and starvation was a constant threat and not even knowing what the destination was going to be like? The faith these Pilgrims had was the driving force that pushed them to endure physical and mental obstacles that are beyond imaginable. Even if you don't necessarily have the same religious faith that this extreme group did, you have to admit that their courage is admirable. I think one quote accurately sums up the courage the Pilgrims had, who were relatively normal people (not your stereotypical noblemen): " these were for the most part families- men, women and children who were willing to endure almost anything if it meant they could worship as they please” (4).
While reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, I found the theme of courage to stand out the most. The Pilgrims show courage when they leave their homes in England in search for a better life for their families in Leiden, Holland. Later, the Pilgrims made the decision to sail to America in search for a new life where they can make their own rules and raise their families how they want, without having to worry about living how the government wants them to live. Both the Pilgrims and Pokanoket tribe are courageous later in the story. By trusting the other in regards to an alliance, both parties exhibit courage which becomes beneficial over time. The Pilgrims are taught how to survive and build from the ground up, while the Pokanoket benefit through the gain of political power over other tribes in New England. The theme that stands throughout Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick is courage, because both the Pilgrims and the Pokanoket tribe express it and benefit from their courage.
While reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, I found the theme of courage to stand out the most. The Pilgrims show courage when they leave their homes in England in search for a better life for their families in Leiden, Holland. Later, the Pilgrims made the decision to sail to America in search for a new life where they can make their own rules and raise their families how they want, without having to worry about living how the government wants them to live. Both the Pilgrims and Pokanoket tribe are courageous later in the story. By trusting the other in regards to an alliance, both parties exhibit courage which becomes beneficial over time. The Pilgrims are taught how to survive and build from the ground up, while the Pokanoket benefit through the gain of political power over other tribes in New England. The theme that stands throughout Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick is courage, because both the Pilgrims and the Pokanoket tribe express it and benefit from their courage.
While reading “Mayflower” by Nathaniel Philbrick, a key theme throughout the book is community. Even before The Puritans arrived in Plymouth, they faced many challenges, such as being persecuted for their beliefs in Europe, and the grueling journey across the Atlantic Ocean that left many dead before they were able to reach religious freedom. The Puritans were able to create a very strong community because they relied on their faith to give them the strength to continue and they were fueled by the desire for the freedom of religion without persecution. After they arrived at the New World, they were faced with more problems than were expected; the first winter brought starvation, disease, and death, that caused the death of half of the population, and the troubling relationship with the Native Americans that was one of the contributing factors to the beginning of King Phillip’s War. Because of the foundation of a strong community in the Plymouth colony, the Puritans were able to overcome the many obstacles that stood in the way of them being a successful and strong colony, which created the base for a community that allowed a sense of freedom people in Europe were deprived of.
Throughout the Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick courage is a theme that stands out. From the very beginning, the Pilgrims were courageous people looking for religious tolerance. People like William Bradford put everything on the line and sold their homes. The Pilgrims went into the voyage with complete uncertainty of what was going to happen. “All they knew for certain was that if they did somehow succeed in crossing this three-thousand-mile stretch of ocean, no one-- except perhaps for some hostile Indians-- would be there to greet them” (30). The act of putting everything on the line and fully depending on a trip that leads to an uncertain place is undoubtedly courageous. In addition, the Pilgrims and the Native Americans were courageous while initiating agreements. They took the risk of trusting one another even though they did not know much about one another. Benjamin Church constantly exemplified courage, even when “he became the first Englishman to settle in...Sakonnet. Instead of being intimidated by the fact that he was the only Englishman, Church relished in the chance to start from scratch” (233). Also, he gave his soldiers hope and continued to fight under dangerous conditions. At Pocasset Swamp Church described how his men “bravely and wonderfully defended themselves” despite facing such an overwhelming force of Indians. He encouraged courageousness and determination amongst his soldiers. Courageous people, like the Pilgrims and Church, allowed for the beginning of a new community.
War is used as a tool in the events of the book - as a threat, as a power grab - and it guides every decision the settlers make from the beginning, with the possibility of war always hanging over them. As evident from the First Encounter, the collision of two societies will never immediately result in agreement. The Puritans and Native Americans had to work to get past that initial fear and distrust, and ultimately, they never were able to overcome it. The brutal mindsets that the Pilgrims ended up adopting don’t help either - the savagery that is born out of their prejudices eventually wiping out a population. The killing of Wituwamat serves as a gory turning point; after cutting off his head, the Pilgrims raise a flag soaked in his blood - a terrifying symbol for the violence they have stooped to. In William Bradford’s own words, during the Pequot War: “It was a fearful sight to see [the Pequots] thus frying in the fire and streams of blood quenching the same” (178). And yet Bradford views this as a victory, even “the work of the Lord.”
Although it’s very clear that none of the events of Mayflower could have taken place without the undeniable courage and sense of community that the Pilgrims displayed, the violence and war overpowers all of it in the second half of the book. If H. W. Brands had wanted to emphasize either of the other themes on this level, he would not have ended the story on the note he did: a summary of the atrocities committed by both Pilgrims and Native Americans, showing how quickly peace can descend into violence. By ending on King Philip’s War, the author is clearly highlighting conflict. The story is never redeemed from this description of incredible bloodshed, the epilogue only stewing in the statistics of it.
Nathaniel Philbrick's "Mayflower" mainly displays the themes of courage, community, and war. Although a community was needed to first embark on a journey, and start a new life, courage was a prominent theme in the story. Without courage, there would be no talk of the Mayflower, or pilgrims. However, it was because of the audacity of these brave men and women that we are even aware of their existence. To break away from your church is no joke. Back in those days, such acts were illegal, and could even mean death! The pilgrims determination is a true act of courage. They had to cross 3,000+ miles to go to the new world. To leave your house, families, and some even children may be an impossible task for many, as well as the 2 month journey to America. A journey where survival expectations were low, especially with the horrendous conditions of the boat. Passengers quickly faced famine, and death as the food supplies were diminishing, but this would not stop the pilgrims. As they arrived in the new world just months before winter, with diminishing supplies, and little knowledge of their surroundings, many already thought that this was the end. However, their landing would only be the beginning of something big. After overcoming their obstacle of breaking away from the church, and arriving in the new world, the pilgrims now had to face the natives. Being in a new, unknown, environment, may have sparked feelings of fear in many individuals. Especially with the knowledge of natives nearby, who had the power to easily take away, and destroy all the hard work the pilgrims had worked so hard to achieve. As the book went on, the pilgrims began building a relationship with the natives. The amount of courage it took to trust someone who so many people feared, and hated. Especially with talks of the French being enslaved, and killed in an earlier expedition. They were soon able to agree to certain terms, and help one another be successful. Without this feeling of courage, and trust, the pilgrims may have ended up just like the French. Overall, courage helped the pilgrims overcome their obstacles, and persevere in dire times.
Nathaniel Philbrick's "Mayflower" mainly displays the themes of courage, community, and war. Although a community was needed to first embark on a journey, and start a new life, courage was a prominent theme in the story. Without courage, there would be no talk of the Mayflower, or pilgrims. However, it was because of the audacity of these brave men and women that we are even aware of their existence. To break away from your church is no joke. Back in those days, such acts were illegal, and could even mean death! The pilgrims determination is a true act of courage. They had to cross 3,000+ miles to go to the new world. To leave your house, families, and some even children may be an impossible task for many, as well as the 2 month journey to America. A journey where survival expectations were low, especially with the horrendous conditions of the boat. Passengers quickly faced famine, and death as the food supplies were diminishing, but this would not stop the pilgrims. As they arrived in the new world just months before winter, with diminishing supplies, and little knowledge of their surroundings, many already thought that this was the end. However, their landing would only be the beginning of something big. After overcoming their obstacle of breaking away from the church, and arriving in the new world, the pilgrims now had to face the natives. Being in a new, unknown, environment, may have sparked feelings of fear in many individuals. Especially with the knowledge of natives nearby, who had the power to easily take away, and destroy all the hard work the pilgrims had worked so hard to achieve. As the book went on, the pilgrims began building a relationship with the natives. The amount of courage it took to trust someone who so many people feared, and hated. Especially with talks of the French being enslaved, and killed in an earlier expedition. They were soon able to agree to certain terms, and help one another be successful. Without this feeling of courage, and trust, the pilgrims may have ended up just like the French. Overall, courage helped the pilgrims overcome their obstacles, and persevere in dire times.
Nathaniel Philbrick's "Mayflower" mainly displays the themes of courage, community, and war. Although a community was needed to first embark on a journey, and start a new life, courage was a prominent theme in the story. Without courage, there would be no talk of the Mayflower, or pilgrims. However, it was because of the audacity of these brave men and women that we are even aware of their existence. To break away from your church is no joke. Back in those days, such acts were illegal, and could even mean death! The pilgrims determination is a true act of courage. They had to cross 3,000+ miles to go to the new world. To leave your house, families, and some even children may be an impossible task for many, as well as the 2 month journey to America. A journey where survival expectations were low, especially with the horrendous conditions of the boat. Passengers quickly faced famine, and death as the food supplies were diminishing, but this would not stop the pilgrims. As they arrived in the new world just months before winter, with diminishing supplies, and little knowledge of their surroundings, many already thought that this was the end. However, their landing would only be the beginning of something big. After overcoming their obstacle of breaking away from the church, and arriving in the new world, the pilgrims now had to face the natives. Being in a new, unknown, environment, may have sparked feelings of fear in many individuals. Especially with the knowledge of natives nearby, who had the power to easily take away, and destroy all the hard work the pilgrims had worked so hard to achieve. As the book went on, the pilgrims began building a relationship with the natives. The amount of courage it took to trust someone who so many people feared, and hated. Especially with talks of the French being enslaved, and killed in an earlier expedition. They were soon able to agree to certain terms, and help one another be successful. Without this feeling of courage, and trust, the pilgrims may have ended up just like the French. Overall, courage helped the pilgrims overcome their obstacles, and persevere in dire times.
The Mayflower book covers a topic I know many people have covered in history class over the years of their education. We live in an area rich with knowledge and examples of that time. I had many expectations when beginning The Mayflower but the novel told a very realistic view of people from that time. Whenever I think of the people on the Mayflower it brings to mind calm and very religious folk, I did not know all the wars that went on in that time. There was constant fighting in the colonies, from Indians versus Colonists to one colonist versus another. The theme of war became very prevalent early on in the book. Looking back at the lives the pilgrims led, it does not surprise me that there were many wars. They had to fight for everything; food, shelter, land, homes, trade, and even their own survival. The pilgrims and the other colonists who came to the new world were not pulling up to a dock and walking down an already established road to buy a new house; they had to survive Indian attacks, find a place to set up camp, and build a community from scratch. To do this they needed to fight and struggle or else there would be no chance of survival.
The most prominent theme in Nathaniel Philbrick’s, Mayflower is courage. It was courage that enabled the Pilgrims to travel across the Atlantic to this new world, where they had to build a new home from the ground up. It was courage that sent Samoset into the settlement at Plymouth. Where he greeted and welcomed the Englishman to his native land, despite not knowing any of their intentions except that they intended to stay. It was courage that allowed Squanto to convince his captive, the powerful Massasoit to befriend the Englishman instead of attack them contrary to popular belief. Bradford’s courage and love enabled him to overlook Squanto’s treachery and save this instrumental Native from the angry wrath of a betrayed Massasoit. It was courage that empowered Standish to go with just a small group of men and attack the 40 Warriors of the Massachusetts tribe who were threatening their settlement. While all of these examples had huge impacts on the future of the Plymouth settlement, it took courage for every one of the 102 surviving passengers on the Mayflower to step off that boat and onto this uncharted land. It took courage for these men and women to step outside there very houses, and while these seem like minor task it took a very special type of person to do what this first group of Puritans did here at current day Plymouth Massachusetts.
Although the Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick is described as “a story of courage, community, and war” I think that really the appropriate subtitle would just be a story of war. When the Mayflower first landed outside of Plymouth, one of the main concerns of the Pilgrims was whether or not the Native Americans would be friendly, this is noted by Philbrick on page 70, where he says “Once ashore, the Pilgrims built themselves a barricade and a large fire.” Although there were undoubtedly other uses for the barricade, they certainly weren’t comfortable with no protection. As time went on they developed a friendly relationship with the Native Americans mainly based on trade, but as time went on and and the Pilgrims began to settle and find the things they had been trading for o their own, they were less and less reliant on the Indians to trade and the Indians became more and more reliant on trade to acquire the guns that the Pilgrims brought. To add to this, as the Pilgrims became more and more settled, they started to intrude on the Native American’s land which brought more tension between the Native Americans and the PIlgrims. This tension continued to build throughout the entire book as well as throughout history. Thus I conclude that the book is less about how friendly the Pilgrims and Natives or about how brave the Pilgrims were to venture to America, but more about the building of tension that led to King Philip's war.
Though Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower displays all three themes at various times, I feel that the most prominent and commonly recurring theme is that of courage. The Puritans wanted nothing more than religious freedom, and they proved that they were willing to go to great lengths to have this freedom. The Puritans mustered up the courage to travel as a group to the New World to start a new life, free of religious restrictions. The Puritans were not the first group to travel to the New World, and they had most definitely heard stories about colonies failing to survive, proving that survival is not guaranteed. It would be absolutely terrifying to travel to a place where “they had now no friends to welcome them nor inns to entertain or refresh their weatherbeaten bodies” (46) and would require insane amounts of courage. The English then had to create everything that they used to take for granted, such as a warm shelter or a valid supply of food. The English were not the only group to display courage, the Native Americans prove to have just as much guts. The Puritans were not the first European people that the Natives have seen land upon their shores and quite frankly the Indians must have been incredibly nervous as seen in the cautious manner they used around the Puritans during their early days as residents of America. The Natives had no reason to accept the Englishmen, as explorers in the past killed large populations of Natives through murder and spreading of European diseases. It took a lot of courage from Massasoit and his people to be willing to create serious relations with the Englishmen. Later in the book, both sides build up the courage to be able to trust one another. During King Philip’s War, many Native Americans were not on Philip’s side and would rather be fighting for the English. Later into the war when the English realized that they are going to need the Natives help to win this war, the English mustered up the courage to allow the Natives to fight with them. The English had to trust the Natives to learn better ways to fight in their current conditions which are extremely different from traditional English warfare. Without courage, the Puritans may never have left Holland and the history of America would be very different than it is now.
Throughout reading “The Mayflower” by Nathaniel Philbrick, courage is the theme that stands out the most. The characters show their bravery from the beginning and to the end of the book. The Pilgrims were not afraid to migrate from England to Leiden. They knew they could’ve been killed but still strived to get their religious freedom. Soon after that, they decided to build a community in the New World. Their trip involved sickness, hunger, and many deaths. But the idea of a Pilgrim community helped them overcome all those hardships. Even when they landed, they had to stay tough and courageous. They faced a harsh winter, which caused more people to die from starvation and diseases. Valor helped them overcome those adversities. They were now building their Pilgrim community and creating good relationships with the Indians living nearby. That courage would be needed in many years to come. Pilgrims faced many challenges when more English started to come. The ones who came after the Pilgrims started to sell muskets to Indians. Also, they disrespected Native American culture and their ways of life. Many Indians were killed for stupid reasons and that caused a war. Now the courage was crucial to the existence of the English settlements. In the end, the English came out victories due to their courage, hardwork, and the ability to stay strong no matter what.
While reading Philbrick's "Mayflower," the theme of courage stuck out to me the most. Even before the Mayflower expedition, the Puritans were brave in the fact that they had the courage to stand up to the hugely powerful church of England in the name of the Puritan faith. They in fact did the unthinkable by sailing to an unknown land "for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our King and country" (Philbrick 41). They had to leave everything they loved behind to go on a voyage that could've certainly been unsuccessful. The voyage of the Mayflower itself highlights the courage that the Pilgrims had on the rough seas. During a massive gale near the end of the Pilgrims' journey, "All seemed lost, when the pilot Robert Coppin cried out, 'Be of good cheer, I see the harbor!'" (Philbrick 73) Seemingly miraculous events like this kept the Pilgrims strong, as they perceived everything that happened around them as a sign from god. The Pilgrims' courage continues to stand out through many other events in "Mayflower," whether it be the Pilgrims' encounters with powerful Native Chiefs or the traversal of the unknown lands of New England. Whatever the case, it takes extreme amounts of courage to abandon everything one has in the name of religious freedom, but the Pilgrims knew that their journey was significant, and they would do everything they could to ensure its success.
I believe that courage is the most noteworthy theme in Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. With sailing across the ocean to seek sanctuary in a new land, there are inevitable obstacles present that would have defeated the Pilgrims if they had not been courageous. I agree with Madison Livermore when she says that the Pilgrims’ faith, described as “a most strict and sacred bond” (17), pushed them through these hard times. Knowing that they would finally be able to believe in the religion they wanted to, filled the Pilgrims with the courage they needed to succeed in the New World. Just the act of sailing across the ocean in hopes of a better life, completely blind to what was to come, displays immense courage. Not to mention the hardships they faced along the way of starvation and diseases, some so harsh that “entire villages became emptied of people” (79). Once in the New World, it took courage on both sides to come to terms with living alongside the Native Americans, foreigns with unknown capability to either harm or help the Pilgrims, and finally mustering enough trust and courage to work together. It took courage for the leaders to risk everything the Pilgrims had worked for and push them to continue fighting even in the worst conditions. These Pilgrims were willing to risk their lives for better ones, demonstrating so much courage that without it, they would never have been able to accomplish their goal.
I believe that courage is the most noteworthy theme in Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. With sailing across the ocean to seek sanctuary in a new land, there are inevitable obstacles present that would have defeated the Pilgrims if they had not been courageous. I agree with Madison Livermore when she says that the Pilgrims’ faith, described as “a most strict and sacred bond” (17), pushed them through these hard times. Knowing that they would finally be able to believe in the religion they wanted to, filled the Pilgrims with the courage they needed to succeed in the New World. Just the act of sailing across the ocean in hopes of a better life, completely blind to what was to come, displays immense courage. Not to mention the hardships they faced along the way of starvation and diseases, some so harsh that “entire villages became emptied of people” (79). Once in the New World, it took courage on both sides to come to terms with living alongside the Native Americans, foreigns with unknown capability to either harm or help the Pilgrims, and finally mustering enough trust and courage to work together. It took courage for the leaders to risk everything the Pilgrims had worked for and push them to continue fighting even in the worst conditions. These Pilgrims were willing to risk their lives for better ones, demonstrating so much courage that without it, they would never have been able to accomplish their goal.
The Mayflower theme that stands out the most is that of community. The main goal was to build a community that these settlers had envisioned. Courage and war factored into the equation but the courage was motivated by creating the community and war resulted from the settlers ambitions to expand the community. They came over to America to create a community in which they could live the way they wanted to and practice their religion freely. In England they disagreed with the way society was run by the Church. They dreamed for a community that they could sculpt. They used the Native Americans to help establish their community in that the Natives taught them how to survive in the new land and keep society running well. Throughout the book it touches on how other settlements and attempts at community failed. This book explains how the community in Plymouth and the other ones established around it survived. The main theme is about the evolution of communities: establishing the community in the beginning; creating rules for the community; and finally expanding the community.
While reading Mayflower I found that the theme of courage is the most prominent. The sense of courage the Pilgrims had is what brought them together to form a community and is what ultimately supported them when approaching war. As others have touched on, it took great courage for the Pilgrims to leave their comfortable lives behind and journey across a 3000-mile stretch of ocean to find religious freedom. If it weren’t for the Pilgrims’ bravery, the voyage would not have been possible. Many stepped aboard knowing the failures of other settlements, the dangers they could encounter at sea, and the uncertainty of whether they’d reach their destination. With so many questions unanswered these people left friends and family behind to embark on this journey because they shared a common goal. William Bradford and his wife Dorothy for example “decided to leave their three-year-old son, John behind” (23) for his safety and so his parents could follow their beliefs. Decisions like these was what makes the Pilgrims courage so pronounced.
The theme of courage is found throughout their exploration of the new world. Starting with Christopher Jones’ decision to settle in the New England area instead of around the Hudson. Although the Pilgrims “were bound for a place about which they knew essentially nothing” (42) they valiantly came together to find a new place to call home. Miles Standish bravely led his men on serial explorations across the unfamiliar coast and experienced the first frightful encounters with the natives. The courage displayed by these men and many others along the way is what allowed the Pilgrims to build a strong community. From a courage based community they succeeded in building a settlement and develop a positive relationship with Massasoit and the Pokanokets. Taking the valiant leap of trusting the Native Americans eventually helped them survive their first winter and allowed them to set a strong foundation for their life in the New World.
In "The Mayflower; A story of courage, community, and war” the theme that stood out the most to me was courage. The people who set out on the Mayflower voyage had to have a boatload of courage. Their reason to venture to a new and unknown land was for freedom of their religion. The group of more radical Puritans, the Separatists from Scrooby, had a plan to set off to find religious freedom. When they set out to Holland “ a person needed permission to voyage to the Continent, something the authorities refused to grant religious nonconformists such as the Separatists” (13). The Separatist had to escape England “ For a group of farmers and artisans most of whom had rarely, if ever, ventured beyond the Nottinghamshire-Yorkshire region, it was a most daunting prospect”, (13) however this did not go well. The captain they hired turned the Separatists in to authorities, “After their leaders had spent several months in jail, they tried again”, (13) proving once again their courage to proceed -no matter the consequences. Courage, by definition is “ the ability to do something that frightens one, is difficult or dangerous” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). The next opportunity for freedom was the migration to the new world. Having known this was a journey not for the faint of heart these brave souls set out on The Mayflower, crammed below decks on a boat for sixtysix days, with lack of food and water, and filled with inconsistent waters and weather. The 102 people aboard included two pregnant mothers that joined on the journey to religious freedom, with proof of courage to set off in a time so very dangerous for people, yet alone pregnant mothers. The pilgrims set out toward dangerous unknown and demonstrated great courage. “ They had sailed across a vast and dangerous ocean to a wilderness where, against impossible odds, they had made a home.”(198) The pilgrims could not have started this journey let alone finish it had they not possessed a massive amount of courage.
Community is the most prominent theme in the novel Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick because it was undoubtedly the foundation of American settlement. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, community is, “A body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests.” This definition perfectly describes the intentions of the Pilgrims that boarded the Mayflower in 1620. They left everything behind in Europe and had to immediately become reliant on complete strangers.The Pilgrims had to build relationships with one another as they crossed an entire ocean before coming face to face with unfamiliar land and people. Community was not only needed for building settlements, but without it, conflicts between the Native Americans and the settlers would have instead have been the Natives against the individuals, and America could not have possibly grown near to what it has become today. The Mayflower Compact is the dominant example of community because the Pilgrims were able to create a set of laws that appealed to them morally as individuals and also as a whole unit. This compact created a community that were able to work and live collaboratively and productively. Without a strong sense of community at the beginning of all American settlement and international migration to this newly discovered land, these colonists would not have been the foundation of America today.
Throughout their journey to a form a new society, the pilgrims are challenged in many unexpected ways. However through it all, they continued to come together and learn to rely on each other for support and survival. During their treacherous crossing the Atlantic, the passengers came together to care for one another when ill or in need. The sense of community among the passengers was so strong that Bradford wrote that “it pleased God, […] to smite” one “strong and arrogant sailor” who had been remarkably cruel to the passengers, with a disease that would eventually take his life. He even remarked that when this crew member was in his last hours, the pilgrims still cared for him. Later the pilgrims and “Strangers” that would accompany them in the new world, decided as a community that they would have to survive together. In the first few months they relied solely on each other for companionship, survival, and reminders of the life they left behind. Before they had contact with the native people they had each other. This created a sense of community that was difficult to break. As the story of the pilgrims continued it grew harder to define who was a “Stranger”. The theme of community became a part of them. The need to adapt and to grow with others allowed them to create the world we live in today.
The subtitle of The Mayflower is the perfect, at summing up the pilgrim’s time in the New World. The theme that stands out to me the most is the theme of war. The pilgrims were constantly in a battle or struggle against everything. Even before the pilgrims left for the New World they were in a struggle with a government that didn’t want them, lenders and merchants that were trying to scam or steal from them. During the journey over to the New World the pilgrims were at war with the ocean, as they were thrown way off their original destination of Virginia. While on the passage, they were also in a war against time, the longer they were at sea the less rations that they had on board and the less that they had to start the new colony with. Even before the pilgrims reached America they were at struggling against multiple different enemies.
Once the pilgrims landed at the New World was when they really started the battle. The second that they landed they were battling the oncoming winter and struggle was there to find any food that they could stock up on. The pilgrims were in a war against the nature, they were unable to find food and shelter that they would need to survive the first months let alone the first year. The pilgrims started a small war against the Indians that lived on Cape Cod by stealing their corn, looting their burial sites and their old houses. That first small battle in the woods against the Indians was just a minor precursor of the events to come. The pilgrims were also in a war battle over resources once other parties started arriving in the New World. The true theme of war comes out later on in the book during King Philip's reign, when there was a real war between the Indians and the colonists. Throughout The Mayflower the pilgrims are constantly at war against something or someone.
The most prominent theme in Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower was that of war. While I understand that the Pilgrims’ initial acts were extremely courageous, and that creating and sustaining the Plymouth settlement required communal effort, the English/Native conflict was ever-present and dictated almost every decision made by both sides. This theme also stands out to me because the conflict was not as simple as I had anticipated it would be. First off, Native loyalty varied between tribes. Many sachems were not willing to put their people through a war with the English, and tried their best to remain neutral during the fighting, and some chose to side with the settlers (which proved crucial to the English victory). Before I read Mayflower, I believed that any conflict must have divided the two peoples, and didn't realize that many tribes fought alongside the English. I was also surprised to find that racial bias did not cause King Philip’s War, rather, it evolved during it as a result of the savagery displayed by the Natives’ war strategies (i.e. ambush, torture, hiding in swamps). In reality, the war was caused by a conflict of interests: the English wanted the Native’s land, and the Natives wanted the English goods. Trading the two was not only unfair, but unwise and very shortsighted on the part of the Natives. Before they knew what had happened, their homeland was pulled out from underneath them and they were left with a handful of wampum beads. This part of the story especially surprised me. The English obtained the Native land through a simple barter system, not by oppression or force as I had expected. I thought that the war would be a last-ditch effort by the Natives to regain their land and their pride, and to push the English out of their territory, but the Natives practically invited the English to take their land. I also assumed that the Pilgrims would easily overpower the Natives because of their superior weaponry and strategy, but I was wrong again. The Natives not only had English weapons, they knew the land far better than the English did and outsmarted them in battle after battle. I thought it was guaranteed that the English would come out on top, but for a long stretch of time I was convinced the Natives could pull off a victory. King Philip’s War may have only lasted 14 months, but the dissension between the English and the Natives had been building for a long time, and would continue to affect the colonists long after the war ended.
Courage, community, and war are all prominent themes in the novel Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, but I believe, that overall, war is the most important and prominent theme. The theme is seen in both a literal sense of war (fighting against Indian tribes) and also a sense of overcoming adversity during the Pilgrims, Separatists, and Puritans fight (“battle”) for survival on land unfamiliar with them to create a community of courageous and religiously liberated people. The first nonliteral “battle” seen in the Mayflower was the Separatists fight for religious freedom from the Church of England. The second was the treacherous crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in which several passengers died of a variety of causes. The third and most challenging “battle” faced by the Pilgrims was the creation of a new civilization on the New World. They faced many different problems and were able to overcome almost all of them. They first had to create a set of laws, then appoint officials, create shelters, find food, etc. This was not an easy task especially for a group of people coming from a different continent who were unfamiliar with the new climate, land, and of course indigenous people. Then came the literal war against the Indians. The numerous tribes and alliances caused a mess of confusion for the new settlers. The Indians spoke different languages, had a completely different culture, and were just as curious and frightened of the pilgrims as the pilgrims were of them. This made it hard for the two groups of people to intervene and work out their problems. The Pilgrims fixed most of these problems by killing or threatening those who threatened them. When the Pilgrims first settled the Indians had the upper hand fighting because they were familiar with the area. Also the Pilgrims firearms were outmatched by the Indians bow and arrows because the guns took too long to reload. It took time for the pilgrims to become more familiar with the land; how to live off of it as well as how to fight on it. It took different techniques then the british were used to, but they adapted and by the time King Philip's War began in 1675 they were able to defeat their enemy Indians in a long gruesome war. Although the book does show themes of courage and community, it is the never ending conflicts, battles, and wars with the Indian tribes that stuck out in my mind as the main theme.
I believe that courage was the most prominent theme throughout “Mayflower”. It took a great deal of courage for the Puritans to even dare to try to create a new home in the New World (considering so many others’ attempts had failed), and it took them even more courage to trust Merchant Adventurers and Strangers to help them with their long voyage. “From the beginning… they demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience” (17) by knowing the dangers of what lay ahead of them but still venturing forward. The Pilgrims also displayed tremendous courage when they dared to stay in Plymouth after the first winter (even though they were succumbing to disease and starvation), and align themselves with Massasoit and his tribe. Native Americans were seen as savages by most Europeans, and considering that the Pilgrims stole many items from the Natives, it was very courageous of the Pilgrims to put their trust in a Native tribe. Courage was also displayed by the Pilgrims when they realized that Billington was kidnapped by the Nausets. William Bradford gathered and went off to save Billington even though they knew they were “venturing back into potentially hostile territory” (111). Because the Pilgrims were courageous enough to overcome their adversities and work together, they were able to become one of the first successful settlements in New England.
The three themes of community, courage, and war all play prominent roles in the Pilgrims' settlement in the new world. However, the theme of war stands out far from the rest as it affects almost all aspects of life in Plymouth. As soon as the settlers arrived from Europe they had to be constantly thinking about relations with the Native Americans. Establishing alliances with Massasoit and the Pokanokets was a strong first step because if they had not made this alliance they could have easily been wiped out with their disease stricken and depleted group. The settlers had to be extremely cautious with everything they did as not to disturb the other tribes. War was always on their minds as one mistake could ignite anger in the Narragansetts or the Nausets for example, bringing unwanted war. War consumed the lives of almost every young man. With such a small population almost every family was directly affected by the consequences of war. Following Massasoit's death there were many years of unease as his son Alexander was killed and the new sachem Philip created many problems. A conflict with John Winslow eventually led to a war that engulfed the entirety of New England. This war tested the strength of the colonists and their will to succeed. Although they needed a strong community and courage to have success, war completely controlled the colonists' lives during the King Philip's War. Many people sacrificed their lives to keep New England alive and if it weren't for them our country today may not have been the same.
Throughout Mayflower, the predominant motif is war. There is constant conflict between different groups of Native Americans and pilgrims. Even at times when peoples such as the Pokanokets are at peace with the pilgrims, there are constant undertones of plotting, mistrust, and acting purely on greed and self-interest. The pilgrims and the Native Americans are never truly friends; they only negotiate for the purpose of bettering themselves. With people like Squanto aiming to pin Massasoit against the people of Plymouth, frequent rumors of tribes such as the Narragansets planning to strike, as well as occasional attacks, the tensions are always high. As the story progresses, these tensions develop into full-fledged warfare. At this point in time, with the exception of a couple “friend Indian” tribes, all Native Americans become the enemy of the white people, who become interested in killing any Indian they see. This begins to create a mutual hatred based on race. During King Philip’s War, thousands of people from both sides are senselessly killed just for the sake of power and vengeance and simply due to whether or not they are white or native. While I whole heartedly believe that war is the underlying theme, I also believe that people tried to use community and courage as means of justification for their fighting. As a pilgrim, to fight was considered a noble and courageous act done in order preserve their people, other Puritans. However, the fighting itself seems rather purposeless. Overall, it’s just a series of immense killings spurring from hatred and a desire to display dominance.
As I was reading “Mayflower”, by Nathaniel Philbrick, I noticed that community was a dominate theme throughout the book. From the very beginning the story the Pilgrims embarking on this trans-Atlantic journey felt a sense of community because they were a group of religious separatists who had the common goal of seeking religious freedom while maintaining their English roots. A sense of community was then extended as the Puritans were forced to sail with the non-Leiden Strangers (people sent aboard by the merchant Thomas Weston). While sailing with the Strangers, the Puritans recognized that it was essential for the two groups to work together and therefore wrote the Mayflower Compact that would “combine [them]selves together into a civil body politic, for [their] better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid” (41). After the voyage, the Pilgrims continued to demonstrate the importance of community as they risked their lives and worked together to find a suitable place to call their home. Once they decided that Plymouth Harbor should be the place of their settlement, the Pilgrims had work as a team to ensure their survival. The women scavenged for food and looked after children while the men built houses and hunted. After barely surviving a harsh winter, the pilgrims yet again exhibited how coming to together as a community ensures survival by agreeing to help the native Pokanokets whenever they required assistance. By forming this alliance, the Pilgrims reduced their chances of a Native attack and greatly increased their chances of surviving in land that was unknown to them. As a result of working as a community with various people throughout the book, the Pilgrims were able to create one the first successful settlements in the New World. Conflict and war was sometimes a necessary evil the Pilgrims tried to avoid, and courage is something people only found by coming together as a community.
As I read Mayflower, I found that courage showed itself far more often than community and war. From the very beginning, the Pilgrims were courageous in every venture they undertook from moving to Leiden to sailing the three thousand miles to a new and unknown land. Religious life in Amsterdam, despite being less repressive than in England, made, “it … impossible for the new-comers from Scrooby to avoid becoming embroiled in these quarrels if they remained in Amsterdam” (16). Therefore, the Puritans moved to Leiden wherein they purchased a house to act as their center of worship. While there were difficulties to living in a foreign land, being held together by only the bonds of faith, “when circumstances turned against them, they demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience; indeed, adversity seemed to intensify their clannish commitment to one another. Once established in Leiden, they acquired a renewed sense of purpose – despite, or because of, the hardships of exile” (17). Once they realized they could not stay in Leiden, they again showed incredible fortitude in finding and securing a vessel, and then setting sail and not giving up despite a multitude of setbacks. Even once they had landed in the New World, free of any and all religious constraints, there were still many difficulties to overcome. For one thing, all the delays they had experienced had caused them to arrive many months later than they had planned, leaving them with low supplies and no shelter on the brink of their first New England winter. Just getting to shore was a potentially deadly expedition, for, “the tidal flats along the shore were becoming more than just a nuisance; as the temperatures dipped to well below freezing, their wet shoes and stockings began to freeze. ‘Some of our people that are dead,’ Bradford wrote, ‘took the original of their death here’” (65). In addition to contending with nature for survival, they also had to contend with the natives, some of whom they discovered to be less than friendly. Their first real encounter with Indians, Miles Standish and his expeditionary group were along the shoreline when, “one of the men burst out of the trees and came running for the barricade, screaming, ‘They are men – Indians, Indians!’ Suddenly the air was filled with arrows” (71). Despite all these setbacks, dangers, and even deaths, the Pilgrims lived on in the New World and established their Puritan colony that they had originally set out to create.
Community is the most predominant theme in the Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick. No matter the circumstances, the notion of community consistently presents itself throughout the course of the book. In the beginning, the desire to obtain a community where separatists could practice their religion freely is what motivated the Pilgrims to set out on the Mayflower. The Pilgrims were driven from the Nottingham-Yorkshire region to Amsterdam, and then to Leiden. In all three places the Pilgrims did not belong, which caused them to seek out new communities. Eventually, it was decided that the only place where they could have a new and free community was to travel to the new world. "As.. their children began to lose touch with their English ancestry, the Pilgrims decided it was time to start over again."(17) Not only is their religion fading, but their children are losing their nationality, thus tearing their little community in Leiden apart. Ergo, the expedition to America was born. The desire for community not only pushed the Pilgrims into action, but it kept them strong through difficult times. Even before they set out for America the Pilgrims were bonded together by "a most strict and sacred bond."(17) This bond kept them together during their migrations across the UK, and it ensured their commitment to each other as they made the brutal journey across the Atlantic. The Pilgrim community may have never been as important as it was when they first arrived at Plymouth where the need to work together was at its greatest. Through the ruthlessly bitter winter the Pilgrims survived by building their community from scratch, with nothing to help them but each other. Therefore, even with starvation, illnesses, and Indian attacks taunting the Pilgrims, their strong sense of community allowed them to persist through all hardships and survive. Once war struck the New England colonies, what were once strong communities were turned into heaps of burning timber. Nevertheless, a few towns were able to remain strong and make the adaptations necessary to win the war. For example, Benjamin Church was able to strengthen his small fighting community by integrating it with Native American warriors which inspired several towns across New England to consider doing the same with their citizens. With Native Americans helping the English end the war, communities were able to find a new sense of unity with the Natives, thus ensuring the peace across New England. Overall, the theme of community was the most prominent because it initiated the Pilgrims' journey and it kept their communities strong through times of war and hardships.
The story of the Pilgrims settlement on Cape Cod is a story of community. The goal of the Pilgrims was to create a utopian society where they could be exempt from religious persecution and have greater economic prosperity. Meanwhile, courage is a necessity to set up a community, it is not the goal or purpose for the creation of the Pilgrim colony. Also, war is a political tool which became, unfortunately, common to resolve matters with rivaling Native American tribes. The original Pilgrims, excluding the Adventurers and the Strangers, “[came] to America not to to establish a great and powerful colony, but to create a tightly knit and godly community” (184), as as seen by the intentions of Governor Bradford, one of the first governors for Plymouth. The goal was to create their religious society and it carried down to descendent generations. For example, Benjamin Church went out of his way to hunt down the man who brought together the Narragansett and Pokanet trives against the Pilgrims. Pilgrim generals and governors were always worried about the structure and demographics of their community, therefore they never failed to lose sight of their societal goals.
While reading Mayflower, I found that the theme of community stood out the most because of the teamwork Plymouth needed to initially function and the strength that a sense of community provided for the civilizations mentioned. The first establishment of community for the Europeans upon the Mayflower began with the creation of the Mayflower Compact, which was meant to unify the variety of people on the journey to North America. Philbrick mentions the document “applied to a group of people who were three thousand miles from their mother country,” showing the group’s need for a separate and unique set of laws and their progress towards an individual community (41). This sense of community is also clear concerning the Pilgrims’ overall survival in the early years of the colony. For example, the Pilgrims’ sense of community was vital to the period of peace they experienced in 1620 because because of their collective decisions to work as a community with the Native Americans and compensate for any wrong the Native Americans felt the Pilgrims had committed. Although the strength and unity of the initial colony of Plymouth was in decline in 1640s, the theme of the community continued to stay prevalent with the creation of the United Colonies of New England. This Union created a community on a larger scale, looking to to unite and strengthen the colonies in an attempt to have them work collaboratively, especially in terms of Native American relations. This being said, I found community as the most prevalent theme because it was the largest necessity to the success of the Plymouth colony and played an important role throughout each civilization encountered.
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DeleteI also believe that the theme of community stood out the most during the settlement period of the Pilgrims in the New World. The importance of working together constantly came up and allowed these historic figures from perishing in their new environment, despite the ever present conflicts and violence that arose. Before the initial departure of the Mayflower from the port of Plymouth, the inappropriate condition of the Speedwell forced the Puritans to sail on only one ship among the Strangers sent by Thomas Weston. After their numbers were dramatically reduced, the Pilgrims’ minister John Robinson strongly urged “his followers to do everything they could to avoid conflict with their new compatriots” (29) and softened their views on exclusivity so the Leideners and Strangers could “live together as best they could” (29). The importance of strengthening this bond led to the creation of the Mayflower Compact, inspired by “the need to create a government based on civil consent rather than divine decree” (41).
DeleteAfter surviving a grueling and dangerous winter, the Pilgrims were able to create an agreement on granting assistance to the Pokanokets whensoever it be needed, who, although not having as extensive a control as the Pilgrims believed, proved to be loyal and honorable. With the binding of the Pilgrims to the Pokanokets, the New World settlers realized that they had a much better chance of survival in the unknown territory and “the threat of Indian attack” was “greatly reduced” (103), later alleviating the dangers that prevented them from creating their own colony. As more and more English settlements were appearing in the New World, the creation of the United Colonies of New England was decided with the growing understanding that “it was important that the English colonies attempt to act as a unified body” (180). This new attempt at strengthening the community of English settlers was the “model and prototype of the North American Confederacy of 1774” (181) (the basis for the United States), and prevented any further Indian attacks at the time as they were unable to create their own union. In order for the Pilgrims to succeed in their attempts to conquer the New World, the establishment of a strong community was vital at the time, and that is why I believe it is the most prominent theme.
Just as Kyra, I strongly believe that community is the dominant theme in Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. As we begin the story, community is immediately shown through the perseverance and the unity needed to receive the patent to travel to the new world. While travelling through Holland and Leiden the Puritans worked together to achieve this success while maintaining their identity as Englishmen. The want and need for a new and better life was a mutual goal for every Puritan travelling to the New World. That only assisted in motivating them to help each other and do as much as possible for the benefit of the journey. Without the help of one another and the strength of each person, the journey would not have been successful. But once they arrived in the New World, patience, teamwork and hard work helped them survive the first couple weeks in the New World. The men went to build and hunt while the women took care of the children and searched for food. Also, community is well shown through the mutual decision of each man to recognize that a peaceful relationship with the Native Americans was vital to their survival. Overall, the initial start of this new colony proved to the English that their goal of thriving in the New World might be attainable."
DeleteAnother example of community being a dominant theme in Mayflower is when it was finally discovered that Billington was kidnapped by the Nausets. Bradford gathered his men and took off to save him, despite the extreme danger and lack of knowledge about the situation. Philbrick wrote that Bradford was fully “aware that they were venturing back into potentially hostile territory” (Philbrick 111). This proves that to their leader, each member of this new colony mattered and deserved to be a part of this journey and future success. As more and more people were dying and falling victim to a new and unknown habitat, Bradford held the people together to ensure their future as a colony. Community is required to start a new colony. War is something colonies do not hope for, but may come if the community is unstable and courage is something a colony hopes for but does not necessarily need. Thus community is a dominant theme and important asset to Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick.
As I read Mayflower, courage was the theme that I believe stood out the most. Using the definition of “courage” found in Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary (1989) (“mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty”) the characters in the book impressed me as being courageous in many different areas of the story. For example, because the voyage to America was filled with the danger of a long journey through rough ocean waters, uncertainty of whether they would reach their destination at all, and fear of the unknown of what lie ahead, the decision to embark on the journey itself was the essence of courage. The Pilgrims’ courage was crucial for their survival on the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. The Pilgrims possessed a special type of courage that enabled them to leave behind what was familiar and go to America to create a new, separate society essentially from scratch. They left knowing the dangers and adversities they would face along the way. The Pilgrims were a motivated group of people who “demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience” (17). On the Mayflower, the living conditions were terrible, and many times the weather made the trip even more unbearable, but they chose not to give up. Once the Pilgrims arrived in America, they had to work hard to establish a settlement, find food, sustain themselves, and govern their community. They were determined not to give-up hope despite those struggles and the high death rates they experienced early on. The pilgrims exhibited great strength in the face of pain and were able to overcome barriers that frightened them. They struggled to find food and were in constant competition with Native American tribes. Developing relationships with the Native Americans and learning to trust them was something that took great courage. The courage to do so ended up being one of the most important decisions ever made. The Pilgrims would not have been able to survive had it not been for the help of the Native Americans. It was incredibly brave of the Pilgrims, especially their leader William Bradford, to trust Squanto as their interpreter. What took courage was for the Pilgrims to put their faith and trust in him even though other Native Americans discouraged them from doing so. The Pilgrims had no way to tell if Squanto was helping or harming them, but they were courageous enough to take a chance. The Pilgrims’ perseverance in the face of danger proved to be the key to their successes, including establishing relations with Native Americans like Massasoit, electing a leader and creating the Mayflower Compact, and emerging victorious from the bloody King Philip’s War in 1675. Nathaniel Philbrick mentions, “In the end, the winner of the conflict was determined not by military prowess but by one side's ability to outlast the other” (332). The Pilgrims fought until the bitter end and proved that they were capable of defending their settlements and their people. The mental and moral strength of the Pilgrims to overcome adversity and venture into the unknown established their courage necessary to succeed in establishing a new colony in America. For that reason, I found courage to be the most prevailing theme in Mayflower.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement that courage is the predominant theme throughout Philbrick's Mayflower. For example, on page 114 Miles Standish and the Native American Hobbamock must come together to face a common enemy, Corbitant, who had been disloyal to Massasoit. Together they devise a plan to attack Corbitant in response to his threats against the Pilgrims. Although their plan to kill Corbitant did not follow through as they had hoped (Corbitant escaped his wigwam during the attack), the courage displayed by Standish to align himself with a Native American embodies the very courage Americans today strive to possess. Standish embodies american bravery and courage because he had the courage to form a strategic alliance with a Native American, who were considered the enemy of the pilgrims. The courage to put faith into the cunning, clever natives allowed the Pilgrims to prosper. Had pilgrims such as Standish lacked courage and remained isolated and refusing to seek allies, there very well may not be an america today.
DeleteSimilar to Paris, I believe the most prominent theme in Nathaniel Philbrick's book Mayflower is courage, as it was required throughout the entirety of the voyage to and settlement of the new world. The amount of courage that it took for the Pilgrims' to even embark on the voyage is unfathomable to me. Bravery and courage was not only necessary to survive the voyage, but to survive in a foreign land with potentially dangerous inhabitants. The Pilgrims demonstrated courage when they not only formed the Mayflower Compact, which many consider to "mark the beginning of what would one day be called the United States" (40) but also took the time to befriend and reconcile with a native tribe and ultimately form a pact with them. The courage to not only trust each other but the natives, most importantly their guide and interpreter Squanto, proved to save the Pilgrims from immediate termination in their new environment. Lastly, courage was the quintessential component for the Pilgrims in winning the bloody King Philip's War. The groundwork for the United States was built by the brave and strategic decisions made by the courageous Pilgrims and their leaders throughout their settlement in the new world.
DeleteIn my opinion, the predominant theme of Mayflower was community. The Puritans were an incredibly strong community that stuck together despite facing daunting challenges such as persecution for their beliefs in Europe, a grueling sail to North America, a harsh first winter in New England with few resources, and dissent from non-Puritan colonists in Plymouth. They even managed to create a strong, friendly community with the Pokanokets despite the local Native Americans’ previous bad experiences with the English. This sense of community allowed the Pilgrims to survive their first difficult winter despite the loss of more than half of the colony’s original population and build a strong colony where they could freely practice their beliefs. The establishment of the United Colonies of New England expanded this community to all of the Puritan colonies across New England despite their potentially problematic differences.
ReplyDeleteAfter the death of Massasoit, the Pilgrims faced the problem of their rapidly decaying relationship with the Native Americans with the controversy surrounding the death of Alexander, the unfair purchases of Native American land, and eventually the start of King Philip’s war. During the war, the Pilgrims stuck together through the difficult war and disastrous losses. Several colonies including Plymouth even managed to put aside their negative feelings towards the Native Americans and create alliances with neutral tribes that turned the tide of the war in their favor. The Pilgrims’ remarkably strong community allowed the Plymouth colony to not only survive but thrive in their harsh environment. While the community undoubtedly weakened in later generations, it was still strong enough for Plymouth to survive King Philip’s War and for the Puritans to maintain their beliefs for years to come.
As Ian discussed, I found the theme "community" predominant throughout Philbrick's Mayflower. Together, the Puritans escape from England to avoid King James and his bishops in hopes of re-creating "the English village life they so dearly missed"(5). The Pilgrims' varying beliefs in church hierarchy and predestination, to name a few, separated them from the Church of England and put them at odds with the English church officials. First, the Separatists traveled to Leiden, a thriving city and commercial center where religion is practiced freely, as a group solely held together by a common belief and "a most strict and sacred bond"(17). Their resilience and bravery as a unit demonstrates their strength and willpower in small numbers. The Pilgrims sacrificed their own well being to protect their religious beliefs for their children and future as a community of separatists. Although they are faced with numerous hardships as they embark on their journey to the new world, they never lose faith in each other or their decision to separate from the Church of England.
DeleteUpon arriving in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims were quick to recognize “that the only way for the settlement to succeed financially was if everyone worked together”(40). With this, they constructed a document known as the Mayflower Compact, which signified the formation of one of the first cults in the United States, having more in common “than a democratic society”(40) today. This document was remarkable because it not only provided the framework and structure for the community of Pilgrims; it also “applied to a group of people who were three thousand miles from their mother country”(41). The strength of their cult is evident when compared to other natives at the time. Due to enemies, disease, and threats from the west, the Pokanoket tribe was “in a desperate struggle to maintain their existence as a people”(49). Ian pointed out the alliances formed between the native tribes at the time, proving the power of community with all differences put aside. Had the Pilgrims’ connection and beliefs not been as strong, their settlement at Plymouth would have had nowhere near the success it demonstrated.
I agree with Ian in saying that the theme of community is the theme that stands out the most in Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. The book begins with an introduction to the Pilgrims, a close community of puritans living in Leiden, Holland seeking a new place to live so they may escape persecution and seek religious freedom. Avoiding persecution because of their religion was what first bonded the Pilgrims together as they faced said hardship together, and in bonding they formed a community that would give them the strength they needed to establish a new home where they could practice their religion without the threat of persecution. In the challenges they faced in finding and establishing their new home, it was the community they first formed that kept them together. Whether it be persevering the prolonged journey on the Mayflower to the New World or enduring the bitter winter they met just as soon as they arrived, they persisted for the communal desire to establish a home where they may follow their religion safely and in a community with other puritans who strive to create the same religious haven.
DeleteWhile the community of puritans constructed in Leiden remained a prevailing force that held the Pilgrims together, the Pilgrims’ achievement of forming a community with the Native Americans also contributed to the theme of community in Mayflower. Most settlements before Plymouth suffered from hostility with the Native Americans, and while the Pilgrims didn’t start on the best foot with the nearest tribes, they eventually worked to settle a useful and often quite friendly relationship with the Native Americans, especially the Pokanoket tribe. Though the loyalties of both the Native Americans and the Pilgrims were often tested, for many years their sense of community surmounted the adversity their alliance faced. As Ian said, the Pokanoket-Pilgrim community struggled after the death of Massasoit, but it was ultimately the community of the Pilgrims and the battle for religious freedom that brought them together in the first place that led to their indisputable success as the first settlement to thrive and last in the New World.
I think community was the overarching theme. There were many communities: the English settlers, numerous Native American tribes like the Wampanoag that were all dependent on coming together as a group to champion their cause. Be it the initial Pilgrims who came together as a community to risk sailing across the Atlantic in search of a better life. They were a community with shared beliefs, principles and willingness to face uncertainty and adversity—and the shear will to stay alive required belief in community as a cornerstone for their survival. The Pilgrims encountered numerous challenges that required them to work together and overcome. From repairing their first ship to surviving their brutal first winter, to embracing the Pokanokets and forming an alliance and friendship based on a six-point agreement. Community is about working together for the betterment of the collective while acknowledging everyone is unique and an individual.
DeleteAs I read the Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme of courage stood out the most to me like Paris, not only because of the Europeans’ desire to live in a new world, but because of their audacious determination to stay alive. Before setting sail across the Atlantic Ocean, the Europeans knew of the already once failed attempt of Jamestown founded in 1607, where “ 70 of 108 settlers had died” (5). Several accounts found at the university in Leiden told about the threat of of Indian attacks, (often sanguinary) in addition to starvation, disease, and lack of supplies. Despite these accounts and fear of the unknown, Christopher Jones led 102 Europeans across the open sea with “agonizing delays, sea sickness, cold, and the scorn and ridicule of sailors” (4).
ReplyDeleteAfter setting foot on land in Long Point, Massachusetts the tired passengers noticed the rustic landscape that was “low and sandy” and “an unpromising place for a plantation” (46). However, over the next decade, the Europeans under William Bradford managed to create a society alongside the Indians, where they traded and communicated with each other. The settlers developed relationships with the Indians, such as with Samoset, Squanto (who served as a communicator between the Indians and English) and the Pokanokets’ sachem, Massasoit. Despite diseases such as smallpox, starvation and lack of supplies, the Pilgrims managed to courageously create a stable society upon which they were able to expand and experiment. Although numerous wars followed the settlers’ arrival with the neighboring Indians such as King Philip’s War in 1675, the Europeans managed to create a society on which our country is based. Without the Pilgrims’ courage, such a journey would not have been possible.
In my personal opinion, war is the predominant theme in Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower. As the Pilgrims build their society and forge bonds with the Indians around them, this becomes excruciatingly clear. The meetings and agreements between the natives and the newcomers are not to sustain friendship, but to exercise the cautious diplomacy oftentimes seen between two rival countries. When the two groups do finally meet on peaceful terms, it is notable that the Pilgrims make a show of their falsified “strength” before the Indian chieftain, Massasoit. Their welcoming to him is distinctly militaristic; “A Pilgrim delegation including Standish and half a dozen men armed with muskets greeted Massasoit at the brook. They exchanged salutations, and after seven of the warriors were designated hostages, Standish accompanied Massasoit to a house…On cue, a drummer and trumpeter began to play as Governor Carver and a small procession of musketeers made their way up to the house” (98). This display of “strength” shows that the Pilgrims and the Indians are not meeting as neighbors settling the same land, but as cautious tribes with the potential to go to war.
ReplyDeleteWar becomes a quick reality for the Pilgrims with word of Massasoit’s kidnapping, who come to realize that “If Massasoit had indeed been captured, they were, according to the terms of the treaty they had recently signed, at war with the most powerful tribe in the region” (113). It takes the Pilgrims yet another show of confused force to secure their positions and cause for respect. For the Pilgrims and the Indians, war is a constant threat - and an occasional reality.
Throughout the Mayflower the theme I believed to be most prominent, like Paris and Mariah, was courage. Throughout their journey the pilgrims have the courage to persevere as a result of their resolute faith in God. As Paris and Mariah explained it took great courage for the pilgrims to leave their home and venture to a mysterious new land and build their lives in the unknown and dangerous environment. The pilgrims took these courageous actions because they believed it was Gods will for them to do so. It took a lot of courage to "draw away" (4) from the Church of England, an act that was illegal in Jacobean England. As well as having a belief system that caused them to be portrayed as radicals resulting in their emigration to Holland. There were many arguments and fears about settling in the new world however these were ceased with the "conviction that God wanted them to go" (6) so their children could be raised English instead of Dutch. The pilgrims trusted that God would get them through all of their hardships, and to them that was all they needed to perform immense acts of courage and bravery. Another example of the pilgrims faith in God pulling them through a difficult situation is when Church's army of twenty men held off and army of tree hundred Native Americans, without suffering any casualties. Church's men were vastly outnumbered, they were running low on ammunition and they were positioned behind a stonewall that left them open to attack in the north and south. Church's men started to talk about making a run for it. Contrary to his men Church remained calm with the believe that "God was in control, and he was on their side." (249) He urged his men to be patient and courageous. Church instructed one of his soldiers, who was too panicked to fire his musk, to reinforcing the stone wall. While positioning a rock a bullet ricocheted off the stone in the man's hands. After this courage was restored to Church's army and they continued to stay by him because this proved God was with them since He had "'directed the bullets [to]...hit the stone' and not the man." (249) Since separating themselves from the Church of England to fighting against the Native Americans the pilgrims acted took immeasurable acts of courage that were facilitated by the belief God was on their side.
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ReplyDeleteWhile reading Mayflower, I found that bloodshed and senseless violence were overwhelmingly more common than courage or a sense of community. Specifically during King Philip’s War, there were many instances in which the English set out to ruthlessly kill Natives who wanted nothing more than to stay out of the conflict, and the same goes for the Indians against the English. One example is the battle at the Narragansett fort. Instead of joining the other Indians against the English, the Narragansetts built an immense fort to “defend themselves against an unprovoked Puritan attack,” which shows that the Narragansetts simply wanted to stay out of the war altogether (272). Once the English breached the walls of the fort, they came upon wigwams full of “hundreds of Native women and children.” (275) The soldiers burned the wigwams and all of the innocents inside. This completely unwarranted and merciless attack on the Narragansetts shows how the English were not always killing strategically in order to end the war as soon as possible; instead, they were slaughtering as many Natives as they could, regardless of whether or not they supported King Philip. Another example of senseless killing was the Nipmuck attack on the Rowlandson garrison in 1676. It was a very similar situation to the slaughter at the Narragansett fort, because the Natives “butchered” the people seeking shelter inside the garrison, despite the fact that these particular Englishmen had not caused the Natives any harm (289). The vicious killing of innocents was all too common in New England during King Philip’s War, and by the end of 1676, both the Indians and the English had taken part in countless cold-blooded massacres of the other. The sheer number of acts of pointless violence are what made the theme of war the predominant theme of Mayflower.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick I believe that the most potent theme is war. Not only does the theme of war incorporate aspects of courage and community, but it is noticeable throughout the entire story. I agree with Sam and Rin; however, I see that war is prominent in not just physical conflict but even more so in alternative ways. Such as, in a religious sense and inside the colonists heads. At the start of the book a hermetic war of religion swept across Great Britain as separatists fought to worship as they pleased. This religious conflict had no association with blood shed but was fought with secluded religious gatherings against the law. It was that war over freedom of worship that drove the colonists to the New World. When the pilgrims reach the New World, war is the first thing on their minds; except, no longer with their mother country but with the Natives. The fear that resides in all the colonists is driven by the possible onset of attack by the Natives. This anxiety causes colonists to place a high importance on avoiding war. The intense focus on abstaining from war with the Natives is exhibited in the Mayflower where it says, “...nowhere had they found any people” (47). Here the colonists had just reached land after months and immediately they question where their possible enemies could be hiding.
ReplyDeleteNot only were the colonists at war with their home, and trying to avoid it with the Natives, but they were also at war with themselves. In all the men’s heads, whether a colonist or Native they were at war with their own morals. Whose side should they fight for? Should they be fighting at all? This unspoken war of contemplation is one that every man has against himself whenever making a decision. As stated before, the theme of war is not only clearly prevailing but serves as an umbrella theme incorporating community and courage into it. One needs courage and their community to fight a war in the first place. During a brutal ambush, when one of Benjamin Church’s men falls, it’s courage that brings Church back to try and save his life. With Natives firing straight at him “...Church attempted to save Belcher’s life” (240). Community is demonstrated in the matter of war when later in battle Church himself falls and, “His men rushed to his side and began to carry him out of the fort…” (275). Above an example of courage and community is displayed, but both are instigated by the presence of war. I conclude war as the most prominent theme seeing as it continues throughout the entire novel and stands as an overarching motif.
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DeleteI agree with what Bella says about war being not only physical, but also mental. I also agree with the fact that war is an umbrella theme. With war comes an abundance of courage. Throughout the Mayflower, the puritans were not only fighting with the indians and other puritans but also with themselves. During the long and treacherous voyage of the Mayflower to America, the puritans were constantly at war with themselves. They were fighting the cold, the hunger the desire they had to turn back. But the ship's master Christopher Jones, though he considered turning back many of times, continued fighting his urge. It seemed that everything was against the ship and it’s passengers but everyone onboard kept on the fight. This also shows how courage falls under the realms of war. It took courage for the people on board to push forwards which is what resulted in them discovering the new land. There were also many difficulties with the originally plan. The original voyage consisted of two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell. Unfortunately, due to a constant leak in the Speedwell, it was left behind and many of the passengers gave up hope. However some went onto the already crowded Mayflower in hope of finding the new world. The Mayflower was now all alone at sea running a few months late and approaching winter. The cramped corridors and bitter weather was a fight the puritans onboard were willing to give in order to settle somewhere they were free to express their religious beliefs.
DeleteDuring King Philip’s war, the puritans were, again, not only fighting the indians but they were also fighting their environment. During the march to Wickford, after the Great Swamp Fight, the colonists had to finish the long night fighting against the cold and fighting to keep themselves alive. They were trudging through the freshly laid snow lugging with them more than two hundred of the dead and wounded. It was one of the longest nights any of them had to suffer through but they fought through it and came out victorious. This also shows a mass bit of courage because it is courage that helped them fight through the night. The war that must have been going on in the colonists minds is what made them stronger and helped them get through the struggles the future had to come. The theme of war was a much more common theme in my opinion, especially because it is much more broad and harbors other themes such as courage. There are countless examples throughout the mayflower that shows the theme of not only physical but mental war among the puritans and indians.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Mayflower, the theme of community stood out the most to me. Throughout the Pilgrims’ journey, they encountered multiple obstacles that they would have never overcome without working together. They soon learned the only way their settlement would succeed is by working as a community. Early on their journey, a massive wave had hit the Mayflower’s topsides, making the master, Christopher Jones, consider turning back to England. In order to continue on their journey, the Pilgrims had to fix the damaged ship. No matter how much they suffered, “agonizing delays, seasickness, cold… they had done everything in their power to help the carpenter repair the fractured beam” (4). The Pilgrims constantly worked together as a community in order to reach Plymouth. Colonists of different religious beliefs came to Plymouth with the Pilgrims, as a result, Pastor John Robinson “anticipated the need to create a government based on civil consent rather than divine decree” (41). In order to assure community and unify the different passengers, the Mayflower Compact was written. Although there had been conflicts with colonists and Native Americans in the past, the Pilgrims were able to form a community with non-Puritan colonists and Native American tribes such as the Pokanokets. In order to avoid “the plague… Massasoit determined he must ‘make friendship’ with the English” (96). The Pilgrims and the Pokanokets established a six-point agreement. Their alliance allowed the Pilgrims and Pokanokets to form a friendship, helping them survive a harsh winter and avoid conflict with other Natives. As their relationship grew stronger, the Pilgrims and the Pokanokets shared information, ideas, and resources with each other. The beliefs that have strengthened America began with the Pilgrims and their ability to adapt to a new environment while building a community with people of different backgrounds and beliefs. Nathaniel Philbrick summarizes the America’s birth as; “for a nation that has come to recognize that one of its greatest strengths is its diversity, the first fifty years of Plymouth Colony stands as a model of what America might have been from the very beginning” (347). I found the theme of community the most important in Mayflower because without a sense of community, the Pilgrims would not have worked together to establish a successful colony or relationship with the surrounding Native Americans.
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ReplyDeleteI believe courage to be the main theme in “The Mayflower”. The voyage of the Pilgrims starts with the courage of Puritans willing to leave their homes so that they may worship their God. Knowing that they will not have an easy voyage The Pilgrims still are driven by courage and faith to continue to the New World. Even as death and starvation take place during the voyage faith in God continues to propel them forward. Once along the coast the settlers start taking huge risks justified by the fact they were under Gods guidance. Digging graves, stealing supplies and venturing through the dangerous shoals of cape cod are all examples. Settling was also a huge risk in Plymouth yet at this point survival not so much faith was driving them forward and a quote “If it was a miracle from God, it had taken form of a holocaust” proves that the Pilgrims were not receiving the help they thought they deserved. Community starts to shine much brighter as the Pilgrims needed one and other, yet making contact and inviting the natives into the settlement was a huge step for the settlers.Making the agreement with the Pokanokets was very courageous due to the fact the Pilgrims were in a foreign land and still demanded so much. Shortly after this agreement is where the Pilgrims courage starts to take advantage of the Indians. Right after they signed the agreement with Massasoit the Pilgrims continue to carry around their muskets violating the treaty (99). As the Pilgrims get settled that faith in God becomes huge again and once hostilities broke out with King Philip courage propelled the war. Church for example when surrounded and outnumbered has such courage in his God that when the Indians cannot hit his men he believes it is God misdirecting the bullets away from them. The Indians too also use great spirits to guide them through war with the powwows and war dances. These lead the Tribes to believe the time has come for them to fight back with minimal risks As King Philip's war comes to an end the quote“In the end, the winner of the conflict was determined not by military prowess but by one side's ability to outlast the other” shows religious and spiritual faith drove both sides with such courage that only the fear of losing even more people stopped the Indians from retaliating and they accepted the settlers as victors. Courage is in my opinion the predominant theme yet bigger than courage was the faith propelling it. (It took a couple try's to get my text from google docs into blog spot for some reason, sorry).
ReplyDeleteI believe courage to be the main theme in “The Mayflower”. The voyage of the Pilgrims starts with the courage of Puritans willing to leave their homes so that they may worship their God. Knowing that they will not have an easy voyage The Pilgrims still are driven by courage and faith to continue to the New World. Even as death and starvation take place during the voyage faith in God continues to propel them forward. Once along the coast the settlers start taking huge risks justified by the fact they were under Gods guidance. Digging graves, stealing supplies and venturing through the dangerous shoals of cape cod are all examples. Settling was also a huge risk in Plymouth yet at this point survival not so much faith was driving them forward and a quote “If it was a miracle from God, it had taken form of a holocaust” proves that the Pilgrims were not receiving the help they thought they deserved. Community starts to shine much brighter as the Pilgrims needed one and other, yet making contact and inviting the natives into the settlement was a huge step for the settlers.Making the agreement with the Pokanokets was very courageous due to the fact the Pilgrims were in a foreign land and still demanded so much. Shortly after this agreement is where the Pilgrims courage starts to take advantage of the Indians. Right after they signed the agreement with Massasoit the Pilgrims continue to carry around their muskets violating the treaty (99). As the Pilgrims get settled that faith in God becomes huge again and once hostilities broke out with King Philip courage propelled the war. Church for example when surrounded and outnumbered has such courage in his God that when the Indians cannot hit his men he believes it is God misdirecting the bullets away from them. The Indians too also use great spirits to guide them through war with the powwows and war dances. These lead the Tribes to believe the time has come for them to fight back with minimal risks As King Philip's war comes to an end the quote“In the end, the winner of the conflict was determined not by military prowess but by one side's ability to outlast the other” shows religious and spiritual faith drove both sides with such courage that only the fear of losing even more people stopped the Indians from retaliating and they accepted the settlers as victors. Courage is in my opinion the predominant theme yet bigger than courage was the faith propelling it. (It took a couple try's to get my text from google docs into blog spot for some reason, sorry).
Throughout Philbrick's book, "The Mayflower", I found community to be a recurring theme as the Pilgrims established their settlements in New England. Starting with the agonizing sixty five day journey to Cape Cod, the group of Puritans fostered a strong sense of community from the very beginning. Initially, the Puritans all shared the same reason for leaving England as their religious views were not tolerated in under the English Anglican church. This group of Puritans, or "dissidents who had come to define themselves in opposition to an established authority" (13) were ready to reform the English church and start anew in America. Already, the Puritans established a community of religious outsiders under rule of the English church. Though the sharing of religious beliefs immediately spurred a tight bond between the Puritans, once settled the Pilgrims encountered a stronger community sense, bonding over hardships. Many Pilgrims founded a community with faith, but Pilgrims also bonded as human beings overcoming one some of the "most difficult emotional challenges a person can face: immigration and exile" (76). Having to adapt to an entire new environment and survive new elements of land they had never encountered forced a sense of community, as much as religion did.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the Mayflower Compact acted as a symbol of cooperation essential in a community. As new non-Puritan Pilgrims arrived from England to settle in Plymouth, inevitable conflict ensued. The Strangers, as they were called, and Leideners, came from different places with different views on religion, and thus did not fit in with the Puritan community. Despite these differences, the opposing groups within the Plymouth community recognized the need for teamwork in order to see the colony through to success. By acknowledging the benefit of efficiency and partnership, the Mayflower Compact represented an act of "coolheaded and pragmatic resolve" (42). Instead of letting violence or conflict between the groups overcome the colony’s success, the Pilgrims made an intelligent decision to establish peace and law through a written document. Philbrick emphasized community as an essential aspect in the Pilgrim's success as well as a predominant theme throughout "The Mayflower".
While reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme of courage appeared to be the most dynamic to me because every aspect of the Pilgrims' journey to acquire freedom of religion would be a struggle, with obstacles that they would need to overcome. First of all, they had to escape England. This was not easy as their first attempt shows: “The first captain they hired turned out to be a traitor and a thief who surrendered them to the authorities…” (13) Despite this betrayal, they persevered. Once they were able to get out of England, they still had to travel to the New World, a place they knew of only through stories and maps. Heading into the unknown with little information demonstrates great courage to me. When they finally did arrive at Plymouth Harbor in 1620, the Pilgrims still had to go about building a world for themselves. They had to explore the surrounding area that would become their new home for water, food and look for an dangers that they needed to familiarize themselves with in order to survive. While first exploring, they had to be courageous, brave and always aware that the native people could attack them at any time. The Pilgrims had to conquer losing loved ones and sickness, along with severe weather conditions that they had not encountered before. The population of their settlement decreased to nearly half during the first winter. However, this strong group of people forged on despite the obstacles and proceeded in doing what they came to do. The Pilgrims persevered through trials and tribulations and faced challenges head on courageously which is why I believe the theme of courage is the most potent one in the book Mayflower.
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DeleteAs Grace said, Courage is the underlying theme in the story Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick. Courage is what allowed the puritans to abandon their homes in England and search for a religiously freer life in Leiden, Holland. Then it was again their courage that brought them to America, even though they had been warned that “in addition to starvation and disease, there was the threat of Indian attack.” (5-6) Without courage these people would have simply accepted their circumstances, however their belief that “G-d wanted them to go” (6) had given them the strength and resolve to face the unknown in exile. The courage of the Pilgrims was what allowed them to come to the new world, because although they had fears and concerns regarding the non-Separatists on their boat and the many many unknowns in the new world, their bravery and trust in G-d is what forced them to keep going.When they had reached land, it was their fearlessness (and desperate need of resources) that allowed the lot to split up to go looking for food, shelter, or existing inhabitants. Their courage and resilience was exactly what helped them survive in this new world: “they were willing to try just about anything if it meant surviving their first year.” (64) The courage of the puritans is also what continued to motivate them throughout their numerous losses; just as Grace had pointed out, the Pilgrims had to learn to survive in hostile conditions, not only when trying to survive the winter during “the little ice age” but also during the attacks from the non-welcoming Natives, during which the Pilgrims were ill prepared but were encouraged by Standish to “be of good courage!” (71) The bravery of the Pilgrims was what set the foundation for the whole story, the courage of the people is what led to all the different encounters with the natives and was the underlying theme to the entire novel.
DeleteThroughout reading Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, I found that community was the most prominent theme of them all. Starting from the beginning of their voyage, the variety of people aboard the Mayflower knew that without working together there was no way they would survive. As the passengers suffered immensely they still managed to act as a community; “Despite all they had so far suffered- agonizing delays, seasickness, cold, and the scorn and ridicule of the sailors- they had done everything in their power to help the carpenter repair the fractured beam” (4). To unify the assortment of people aboard the Mayflower the Mayflower Compact was created. With this there was an understandable organization for community, providing framework, which guided the Pilgrims. Philbrick mentions, “the Mayflower Compact represented a remarkable act of coolheaded and pragmatic resolve” which in fact helped the Pilgrims sense of community in their early years as a colony (42). As Plymouth weakened in the 1640s, the theme of community continued to remain as the United Colonies of New England was created. The purpose of this was to create not only community within one colony but between all of the Puritan colonies in New England despite their different beliefs. This especially helped the colonies with their relationship with the Native Americans. After the tragic death of Massasoit, the Pilgrims and Native Americans relationship was deteriorating. As tensions grew, it became the beginning of King Philips War. Through the war the Pilgrims managed to stay strong and together as a unified community. They even created alliances with tribes to survive through the war. Without the Pilgrims ongoing sense of community, their society would not have been able to withstand the war. Though the Pilgrims faced many hardships, without their outstanding sense of community their civilization would not have flourished as it did, which is why I believe community is the most prevalent theme in Mayflower.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Jenny’s explanation, I found that the novel Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, demonstrated strong themes of community. As Jenny mentioned, early in the story of the Mayflower, the Pilgrims wrote the Mayflower Compact. The compact began by mentioning the Pilgrims’ duties for God, the Christian faith, and their King to form a united colony and “covenant and combine ourselves (the Pilgrims) together into a civil body politic” (41). The agreement unified the Pilgrims by stating similar trusting figures which then helped form a cohesive colony. As the colony progressed, the Pilgrims strategized solutions, with the use of community, to solve impending difficulties such as food shortages and little financial success. To increase harvests, the Pilgrims assigned each family with a plot to cultivate land. This method satisfied a communal effort as it brought women and children into the fields as well as men. Working together, families had no more food shortages. Pilgrims fixed their financial problems by adopting the use of wampum, special beads that acted as a source of exchange similar to money. Wampum allowed trade among different communities and soon, “an intimacy existed between the English and Indians that would have been almost unimaginable to subsequent generations of Americans” (194). Through trade, the relationship between Pilgrims and Indians strengthened. Later on, this relationship aided the Pilgrims during the King Philip War, as Jenny talked about in her post. Specifically, the relationship was strong when Benjamin Church influenced friendly Indians to join his team in fighting against their common enemy, Philip, and in the end, when the English and Indians celebrated together over the death of Philip. Throughout Mayflower, the Pilgrims incorporated community into the Mayflower Compact, in problem-solving situations, and in their relationship with the Indians which ultimately helped the development of their colony.
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ReplyDeleteThe motif of community in The Mayflower is the most dominant over all others. To ensure that the community of Separatists remained functioning the members needed to join together and work for the greater good of their community. At first, they struggled with this idea and it was not until they changed the dynamic of the colony that hope for a better future arose. The community struggled with constructing houses and producing enough food to keep inhabitants healthy and able to work. When they agreed each family was responsible for constructing their own homes the number of completed houses increased faster than before. To come to this decision, the community had to work together to find a drive within everyone to work for the greater good.
ReplyDeleteBy figuring out how to properly motivate people to do the necessary work by honing it on the natural desire to protect your family, the Pilgrims showed how a collective mind can reflect the success of a whole. As time went by, more people came together for the community. For example, to end King Philip’s War, the armies of Bradford and Church were able to put the war back in the colonist’s favor by putting Philip on the back foot. This collective thinking led to the success of the colonies. Having a community was the reason the colonies were successful and without it there would have been no bright future.
I agree with Kyle that the theme of community is most prominent and that the “Pilgrims showed how a collective mind can reflect the success of a whole”. However, I believe that this theme does not only apply to the Pilgrims, but also to the Indians and their lack of community. The Indians were comprised of several independent tribes: Pokanokets, Pocassets, Uncas, Nemaskets, Mohegans, Pequots etc. while the Pilgrims were a more homogeneous group. From the start, the Pilgrims had an overall structure to their development (Mayflower Compact) and as the Pilgrim territory grew, a United Colonies was created. "It was important that the English colonies attempt to act as a unified body" (180). This precise unification is that was lacking with the Indians. Even though the native population outnumbered the English, the various tribes never could compromise and become one. "There is evidence that the Narragansett sachem attempted one last bid to unite the native peoples of New England by proposing to marry one of Uncas's sisters"(182), but this never came to pass. The Indian’s independence is the main reason they were unable to take over the Pilgrims. There were many factors that contributed to the Natives remaining independent. From tribes leaning "to Christianity" (219) to the "Narragansetts being too large and diverse to speak with a single voice” (220). Given all this, I believe that the failure to create one pan-Indian tribe and the Pilgrim’s strength of community are the reasons why this theme stands out the most.
DeleteWhile reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower, the theme community stood out the most. As the pilgrims had to make their treacherous journey in hopes of finding a new land, free from religious barriers caused by the restrictive King James, without the sense of community they created they would never have been able to take the first step towards religious freedom. Without having the backbone of people who yearned for the same goal (religious freedom) they would not have a realistic goal at creating a new frontier. Together they were the Pilgrims, they had been through rough seas to reach a land, blinded by their determination to have ultimate freedom. Despite the expected dangers that lay ahead, such as the difficult first winter, conflicts with several Native American tribes and rampant disease that eliminated a large portion of the population, as a unified group they could handle whatever life threw at them together. Due to creating a significant bond to the Pokanoket tribe nearby, the Pilgrims also realized what a considerable impact making bonds with others would make on the colony. This alliance allowed the Pilgrims to have partner that would be very helpful in the near future in the case of any attacks on Plymouth Plantation, and allowed there to be peace between more people than just those in the colony, further expanding those on the Pilgrims “side”. Having a strong sense of community is how the colony survived, and led to the making of the Mayflower Compact, “a formal and binding agreement” that “would provide the basis for a secular government” (Philbrick 40-41). The pilgrims faced their first winter with obstacles that resulted in a vast number of deaths due to lack of resources, disease, and lack of shelter necessary to survive. But, this deathly season brought the Pilgrims closer because of the urgent need to care for fellow Pilgrims.
ReplyDeleteI believe that courage is the theme that stands out the most in the Mayflower. It would be difficult to say that the people who first signed up to participate on the voyage to the New World were not courageous. They knew that the passage would be extremely difficult and the likeliness of surviving was not 100%. Despite this, people still decided to go. It was their bravery that got the people onto the ship and perseverance that got them through the tough journey. They suffered through countless hardships like near starvation, dehydration, and destructive winds. Once they finally arrived after their journey, the people on the Mayflower continued to show their courage when they started to establish settlements. They did not turn away with the fear that they could be attacked by natives or they could come and find nothing at all. They knew that in order to survive, they had to learn the ways of the land. Another example of bravery shining through was when the Pilgrims trusted the Native Americans to show them how to grow crops and use the land. If the Pilgrims did not put their trust in the Native Americans, their chance of surviving would be much lower. Also, the Pilgrims realized that they need a written document to govern their settlement. So, they wrote the Mayflower Compact which took some thought where they had an audacious vision for their community. Overall, the people on the Mayflower overcame many adversities, but with their courage and bravery, they prevailed.
ReplyDeleteI think that courage is the theme that stands out the most. The Pilgrims set out for an unknown land, left their friends and families behind, because they were not allowed to practice their form of religion where they lived. The journey to the new world was extremely courageous by the passengers who singed the contract saying they agreed to go upon the Mayflower. Most if not all of the passengers knew there was a great chance that they might not even reach their destination, but they still left everything they once knew behind in order to freely practice their religion. Once the Pilgrims reached their destination, they had no idea about where they were going to be living. They had to find food and shelter on their own. They also had to form relationships with the native people, and this was extremely hard because they did not speak the same language. Overall I think that anyone who willingly risks everything in order to be free is very courageous. The Pilgrims may have risked everything, but for many if not most of the original Pilgrims, it was worth it.
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ReplyDeleteThroughout "Mayflower" by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme of courage stands alone, in my mind, as the main theme for the story of the Pilgrims. While the themes of community and war are prominent and extremely important to the story, the idea of courage can be applied to each and every thing that the characters went through. The original Pilgrims had to be courageous to oppose the Church of England in the beginning, they had to be courageous to leave their lives in Leiden to travel to the New World and live amongst the hostile Natives, and then once they were there, they had to be courageous every single day because of their edgy relations with the Indians. I took the other themes (community and war) and thought about how they influence the book and I found that in every aspect of those themes, courageousness is present. First, war: obviously it takes a lot of courage and bravery to go off and fight in a war. The settlers displayed an immense amount of courage to fight the Indians in King Philip’s War in addition to the many local quarrels they found themselves a part of. Second, community: in order to create a community in the New World, the Pilgrims had to take a leap of faith and agree to travel to America in the first place, which required bravery as well. Also, they had to be courageous and attempt to approach the Natives because they could not have a safe and productive community without their help and friendship. While the theme of courage is present in every example of the themes of community and war, it does not work the other way around. Any given example of courage cannot be traced back to community or war, while courage is ever-present throughout Philbrick’s “Mayflower”. For this reason, courage stands out the most to me out of the three given themes of the book.
ReplyDeleteAs I read Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick I found the theme of courage to be the most predominant throughout the novel. Agreeing with Drew Gally that community and war are also important to the story, I too believe that courage is the theme that is most relevant and can be applied to every situation in the book. The courage and bravery it took for the men and women to leave their communities and embark on a journey to a new, unfamiliar world is incomprehensible. Knowing that there was little chance for survival these people adventured out across the atlantic ocean through unchartered waters to discover something new. The people had little knowledge of what they would encounter on the new land but still left anyway because they were fighting for what they believed in. The people believed in religious freedom so they went against their church and left in search of something new. Leaving England against the belief of the church, getting on the Mayflower and commencing on the journey, and the boat ride over where the travelers were plagued with death, illness, little to no supplies, and poor conditions are all factors that went into the journey that were overcome by the courage and perseverance by the Pilgrims. The need for bravery was not over when they reached land, knowing that within the first year that Jamestown was settled “70 to 108 settlers has died” (5). The Pilgrims had to overcome many challenges to be accepted by the natives. Once having gained the respect of the natives they had to courageously put their full trust into the natives to guide them to a life of prosperity. In all, the Pilgrims were able to leave England, follow their faith, and survive in a new foreign land all with their tremendous courage.
DeleteThe fact that the Pilgrims thought about all possible conflict before making any sort of decision clearly shows that war is the predominate theme in the Mayflower. Religious conflict drove the Pilgrims to leave England, Indian conflict drove them to find a suitable place to grow as a community, and the inner turmoil drove them to have courage. Although the separatists were fully aware of the dangers that lay ahead of them they "were willing to endure almost anything if it mean they could worship as they pleased" (4). The desire of religious toleration drove them to the New World. They couldn't stand having to fight over what they wanted to believe and practice.
ReplyDeleteOnce they got to the New World they immediately thought of the possible attacks from the Natives. From the start they "were armed with matchlocks-muskets" (71). The Pilgrims did not even think that peace between them and the Natives could be possible. While looking for a permanent settlement location, the threat of Natives had a strong weight in the decision. They had to think of an adequate location that they could defend themselves from too. From the minuet the Pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower they had to tactfully make decisions about housing and collecting food that would best save them from Indian attack.
The threats of war drove each group to commit killing sprees. The English became deceitful and manipulative to get what they wanted. No longer were they there to learn from the Indians, but now "killing Indians, not saving lives appears to have been the captains chief priority" (153). Different tribes began to turn on one another, "it was no longer a question of Indian versus English; it was now possible for alliances and feuds to reach across racial lines in a confusing amalgam of cultures" (155). Tribes that used to be so close together were torn apart by the theme of war. In the end, "there were more Puritans in Massachusetts Bay than Native Americans in all of New England" (179).
As I read the Mayflower, I found courage to be the most notable of the three themes. If not for courage, the Separatists from Leiden would have never figured to abandon the only culture that they had been exposed to, nor embarked on such a treacherous odyssey to an obscure world located an ocean away. Neither would they have initiated such dauntless attacks against a much larger enemy. It is true that this exceptional courage was rooted in the colonists’ desire for a liberated and improved life. However, their loyalty to God, as well as their trust in Him allowed the Separatists to brave such brutalities. Since their fate was in the hands of God, they did not worry about the consequences of leaving their mother country, or about warring with an equipped band of Natives. All disputes over whether or not to travel to America ended “with the conviction that God wanted them to go”(6). Given this, the colonists courageously set sail on a grim-looking endeavor. They marched valiantly into most battles knowing that God was watching over them. An example of this sort of courage occurred when Benjamin Church decided to lead his troops to scout King Phillip. His wife, Alice, was initially opposed to such an endeavor. However, she ultimately agreed, and committed “her, his babes and himself to heaven’s protection”(313). In the following altercation led by Church to kill King Philip, Church believed that “the Lord was on his side”(340). This affirmation allowed Church to face an enemy that significantly outnumbered his troops.
ReplyDeleteCourage was the single force that allowed the Separatists to isolate themselves from the Church of England, and to unite together into a single community. Courage was the factor that led the colonists into numerous wars against an intimidating opposition. It allowed the colonists to triumph over the terrible odds that were burdened on them upon their arrival to the New World. Courage underlied the colonists’ entire evolution into a prosperous people. Wars would not have been fought and people would not have united into an isolated pack had it not been for the beaming courage that was blessed upon the devout Pilgrims by an almighty God.
In Mayflower, the theme of courage stood out the most because of the Pilgrim’s determination to survive in a shaky and unfamiliar environment. Disobeying the Church of England, this unusual blend of colonists was made up of “families- men, women, and children who were willing to endure almost anything if it meant they could worship as they please.”(4). However, New England’s harsh winters, low food supplies, and dangerous Indian’s almost made the voyage not worth it. The newcomers did not expect that they would have needed to endure this much punishment to worship freely. The only thing keeping the Pilgrims in the new land was their astonishing amount of courage and willpower to never give up.
ReplyDeleteAfter a year or two of settling in, leaders by the names of William Bradford and Miles Standish grasped the people’s courage and used it for the better of the settlement. The Pilgrims built a strong and organized community to help them survive the harsh winters and possible attacks from nearby Indian tribes. Although, it turned out that not all Indian tribes were dangerous. An Indian by the name of “Samoset---at least that was how the pilgrims heard it” (93) greeted the pilgrims and “spoke the now famous words, ‘Welcome Englishmen!’”(92). While reading Mayflower, I realized that the Indians were just as courageous as the Pilgrims. Both the Indians and the Pilgrims had no idea what to expect of each other. For Samoset to greet the Englishmen the way he did displays courage and hope that the Pilgrims will feel safe and secure in their new land. Throughout the book, Philbrick exploits the theme of war, community, and courage. I consent that courage stands out the most because of its true connection to the other themes of war and community. Without courage, the community never would have came together as one and the wars fought with King Philip and the Indians would have been devastating if it wasn’t for the Pilgrims motivation to stay alive.
Throughout the Mayflower, I believe the most dominant theme is war. The first encounter the Pilgrims have with the Native Americans is an unfriendly one; “The air was filled with arrows”, from the Natives, and “every [Englishman] reached for his gun” (71). When the Pilgrims make peace with some of the Natives, one of the first things they notice is how the Natives are “so different from themselves” (93). Through a peace agreement with Massasoit, along with other agreements and offerings with Native tribes, the Pilgrims built a stable relationship with their neighbors. However, once the Pilgrims settled and had a growing sense of courage, their reliance on peace with the Natives became less important. Greed, fear, and cultural differences caused small conflicts with the Indians. As the new generation of Natives and English emerged, “both sides [began] to envision a future that did not include the other” (347), leading to the hostility between the two groups, which eventually grew into a full fledged war.
ReplyDeleteKing Phillip’s War lasts for “fourteen bloody months” (357), during which both sides struggled to end the war by making peace. The Pilgrims pull the Narragansetts, “who asked only to be left alone” (272), into the war. The Pilgrims and the Natives display measures of total war by burning down houses and villages, taking hostages, killing, torturing and selling innocent people into slavery. During the war, both sides knew “all hope for negotiation was lost” (265), and the war would only cease when a victor emerged. The war encompasses a large portion of the Mayflower and the reality of war is the dominant theme that lingers with the reader.
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ReplyDeleteMayflower, “is a story of courage, community, and war.” All these are important themes present in Mayflower. However, I believe community stands out the most. The importance of community is shown from the very start of the book, to the end end of the book. The Puritans, “...were for the most part families” (4), and they all had one thing tying them together: “...[drawing] away from the church of England” (4) in hopes of religious freedom. They shared, “...an extraordinary spiritual connection… as exiles in Leiden” (7), and because of that, went on this journey together. Very rarely did the Pilgrims think of only themselves on the voyage to the New World. Captain Bradford’s, for example, “first priority was to get [those] people to shore as quickly as possible” (36), and, “despite all they had suffered… [the Pilgrims] [did] everything to help the carpenter repair the fractured beam” (4). The only way this journey would succeed, unlike previous settlement attempts, “...[is] if everyone worked together” (40). Not only was there a community built within the lives of the Pilgrims, there was also a community built with the surrounding indian tribes, like we see with the first Thanksgiving. As I have previously stated, community is the prominent theme in Mayflower because of the strength of family bonds, and friend bonds created between surrounding communities.
ReplyDeleteTo briefly summarize the historically significant novel, Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, it can truly be categorized as “A story of courage, community, and war.” Overall, my interpretation of the story concludes that war is the most prominent theme throughout the chronicle, syncing with Rin’s, Sam’s, and Bella’s opinions. Based upon the initial narrative of the Pilgrims’ prolonged journey to reach Plymouth Harbor, one could surmise that a lengthy and bloody war might be inevitable. Not only did the narrator incorporate foreshadowing evidence, but the reader could also sense the understandable and growing tension between the newly settled Pilgrims and the native Indians. For example, before the Mayflower arrived to its eventual destination, Philbrook notes, “In addition to disease, what were described as ‘civil dissensions and bloody wars’ erupted throughout the region as Native groups that had been uneasy neighbors in the best of times struggled to create new order amid the haunted vacancy of New England” (48). The quotation implies existing tensions and future conflicts for the Pilgrims and the possible battles that might occur once they anchor into their destination.
ReplyDeleteThe arrival of the Pilgrims signaled angst and uncertainty for both these new settlers and the cautious Indians. At the beginning, almost all of the interactions between the two groups were very informal and involved no spoken words. Finally, after a lengthy period of time, the leader, or sachem, of the Indian tribe called Pokanoket, who was named Massasoit, met with the Pilgrims and their governor, John Carver, to discuss regulations and laws. Following this cordial and friendly encounter, the Indians and the Pilgrims experienced the very first Thanksgiving, which included bounties of food, friends, and laughter. Sadly, this peace did not last. Massasoit’s passing disharmonized the accord and unity that once embraced all of Plymouth Harbor. His successor and son, Wamsutta (Alexander), began to sell land illegally to Rhode Islanders and it was rumored that he planned to join forces with the Narragansett tribe and fight against the English. Unfortunately, Alexander fell suddenly ill during peace talks with Edward Winslow and died, leaving the throne to his brother, Metacom (Philip). Since Philip was convinced that Winslow had poisoned the sachem, the new heir loathed the military officer. Philbrook records, “Intentionally or not, Winslow had lit the slow-burning fire fuse that would one day ignite New England” (204). The young sachem began selling his land to the English for the immediate profit, only later realizing that he wanted the Indians’ native land back, as it was by then greatly diminished. There had been talk that Philip was planning to join forces against the English in order to recover their lost land and “enrich themselves with [English] goods” (212). From this point forward, what became known as “King Philip’s War” unraveled and harmony between the Pilgrims and the Pokanoket tribe would no longer exist. In fact, the majority of the Indians in the New England environs would also be at war with the foreign English, who too surrounded many parts of this coastal area. Sadly, this war lasted too many years, caused too many deaths, and left a huge expanse and void between the English and the Indians. War is the central element of these historic accounts and left a permanent mark on the lives and the futures of all those who called New England their home. I believe that war is the most paramount theme in this novel, for it overwhelmed and enveloped all aspects of the lives of the settlers and the characters in this epic tome.
While reading Mayflower I felt the predominant theme in the book was courage. Even though a strong community was necessary for the establishment and maintenance of the settlement, without courage, the voyage wouldn’t have happened in the first place. It took all the passengers of the Mayflower and Speedwell courage to leave the familiarity of their homes in England and Leiden. These strong people left families and friends behind to travel across the Atlantic Ocean in unchartered waters in search of religious freedom. They persevered through untold difficulty to arrive in America to start a community from scratch. They had very little knowledge of the land and some even left their children behind with little assurance of seeing them again. Many feared the immense danger that lay ahead of them on their journey but they forged on.
ReplyDeleteThe Pilgrims didn’t just have the courage to leave for America, they had the tenacity to stay there in dire conditions. When they first arrived they had to go out and search for resources and food. They were in constant competition with the Native Americans. These Indians tried to scare off the Pilgrims multiple times because they had bad relations with prior Europeans. The Pilgrims however, were not fazed and stayed resolute with their mission. Eventually, they had the courage to face the Indians when they arrived at their settlement. Despite the obvious dangers, they forged on and developed relations with Massasoit and his tribe. This action while perilous was imperative in the Pilgrims survival. Massasoit’s men taught them how to hunt, grow, and live in America but most importantly, they told the Pilgrims when they were going to be attacked by the Massachusetts Indians. Instead of simply sitting and reacting, the Pilgrims had the courage and bravery to attack first. When the Pilgrims initiated the attack, it scared all of the Indians in the region who subsequently made peace with them. They also showed tremendous courage and resolve in King Philip’s War by chasing down the Native Indians in order to preserve their new home. The Pilgrims were able to successfully plan, travel to, settle, and survive in America solely due to their immense courage.
While reading Mayflower I felt the predominant theme in the book was courage. Even though a strong community was necessary for the establishment and maintenance of the settlement, without courage, the voyage wouldn’t have happened in the first place. It took all the passengers of the Mayflower and Speedwell courage to leave the familiarity of their homes in England and Leiden. These strong people left families and friends behind to travel across the Atlantic Ocean in unchartered waters in search of religious freedom. They persevered through untold difficulty to arrive in America to start a community from scratch. They had very little knowledge of the land and some even left their children behind with little assurance of seeing them again. Many feared the immense danger that lay ahead of them on their journey but they forged on.
ReplyDeleteThe Pilgrims didn’t just have the courage to leave for America, they had the tenacity to stay there in dire conditions. When they first arrived they had to go out and search for resources and food. They were in constant competition with the Native Americans. These Indians tried to scare off the Pilgrims multiple times because they had bad relations with prior Europeans. The Pilgrims however, were not fazed and stayed resolute with their mission. Eventually, they had the courage to face the Indians when they arrived at their settlement. Despite the obvious dangers, they forged on and developed relations with Massasoit and his tribe. This action while perilous was imperative in the Pilgrims survival. Massasoit’s men taught them how to hunt, grow, and live in America but most importantly, they told the Pilgrims when they were going to be attacked by the Massachusetts Indians. Instead of simply sitting and reacting, the Pilgrims had the courage and bravery to attack first. When the Pilgrims initiated the attack, it scared all of the Indians in the region who subsequently made peace with them. They also showed tremendous courage and resolve in King Philip’s War by chasing down the Native Indians in order to preserve their new home. The Pilgrims were able to successfully plan, travel to, settle, and survive in America solely due to their immense courage.
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ReplyDeleteMayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick revolves around the theme of community. A group of people decided to take a voyage to separate themselves from King James and his bishops. At first, the separationists tried living in Leiden, Holland because Holland was religiously tolerant but found the risk of “civil unrest and, on occasion, violence” was not worth exposing their family too. The separationist decides to sail to the New World in hopes of building a colony and reform the English church. On their journey, the separationist faced hardships of the beam breaking, seasickness, and the cold. They realized the only way to overcome problems they were facing now and problems in the future was if they worked together. From then on, the separationist realized they were fighting for the same goal of being able to practice puritanism freely within the New World. By overcoming hardships on their voyage and realizing their common goal the colonist began bonding. Once arriving at Plymouth, the colonist began building their community and becoming closer with one another while trying to survive in their new surrounding. The Mayflower Compact also helped build a sense of community by acting as the “"coolheaded and pragmatic resolve" (42). By having this contract, enabled the colonist to rely one another to build a successful community, knowing that without working together could lead to failure. The success of building a community in Plymouth came from the awareness knowing they need each other to create success.
ReplyDeleteAs I read Mayflower, I found war to be the most prevalent theme. Not only did it stand out the most to me, but as I read I noticed that the theme of war often encompassed the other two themes of community and courage. Upon their arrival to New England, the passengers of the Mayflower were well aware of the violent encounters between the Native Americans and European explorers and merchants in the past. As a result, the Pilgrims were reluctant to approach the shore, as they were aware that “huge numbers of hostile Natives might be waiting just a few miles down the cape” (57). When a small group of Pilgrims, including Bradford, Carver, and Standish, took a small shallop to shore, they were immediately assaulted by “at least thirty Indians, ‘although some thought there were many more yet in the dark of the morning” (72). This altercation at what has been named “First Encounter Beach” was just the beginning of the conflict and war between the Natives and the Pilgrims. Although the Pilgrims were eventually able to create an alliance with the Pokanoket tribe, this “created serious problems with the far more powerful Narragansetts” (127). Not only did the Pilgrims come into conflict with the Narragansetts, they often found themselves at war with other Natives, including the Massachusetts tribe and more specifically a Native American named Wituwamat, who became a target of Standish due to his plot to attack the English settlements. As time passed and new generations of Pilgrims and Natives inherited the roles of their parents, the younger Pilgrims “were less willing to treat the Natives with the tolerance and respect their parents had once afforded Massasoit” (201). This disrespect only led to greater conflict with Metacomet, the new leader of the Pokanoket tribe. The earlier Plymouth-Pokanoket alliance quickly disintegrated and disputes over land quickly erupted into a full fledged war, known today as King Phillip’s War, which consisted of three years of brutal fighting between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. It is clear to me that the dominant theme in Mayflower is war, rather than courage or community. The themes of courage and community are often laced throughout Philbrick’s accounts of war and conflict, and examples of courage and community can seldom stand alone, as they are often a result of the most prominent theme of the novel; war.
ReplyDeleteAs orator Robert Green Ingersoll once said, “The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.”
ReplyDeleteMayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, is a story of the courage of a desperate people as they encountered inconceivable hardships in their quest to find religious freedom while retaining their cultural integrity. In efforts to find this freedom, the Pilgrims made their way from England to Leiden, Holland. In Holland, they hoped to live their lives free from the jurisdiction of the Church of England, while keeping their English culture intact. However, they soon realized that they could not stay in Holland and remain true Englishmen, for they worried their children were becoming Dutch. Despite the failure of their efforts to live in Leiden, the courage of the Pilgrims remained steadfast and strong. The Pilgrims quickly recovered from this setback and set out on the voyage to the New World, “. . . a stunningly audacious proposition” (5). Embarking on an odyssey to an unknown land in almost intolerable conditions required remarkable bravery on the part of the Pilgrims. After reaching the New World, the Pilgrims encountered more problems; they arrived not at the Hudson River, where their patent from England applied, but at Cape Cod. Ignoring the defeat, they found the strength inside themselves to press on and find a location where they could settle. The Pilgrims faced harsh winters, and their relationship with the natives was unsteady and dangerous at best. In spite of this, the Pilgrims did not turn around and go back to England; they kept their heart and wits about them, and created a society that the New World had never seen before. When King Phillip’s war broke out, the military campaign of the settlers was a total disaster, and the inhabitants of Plymouth failed to be victorious time and time again. However, their courage did not falter. They utilized strategies learned from natives loyal to their cause and finally captured Phillip, ultimately ending the war. Throughout their incredible journey, the Pilgrims’ courage was tested, and though they faced defeat many times, they never lost heart. For this reason, courage is the theme that stands out the most in Mayflower.
After completing the Mayflower, the most pertinent theme is war. Throughout the entire novel there are several brutal battles that shape New England. At the start of the book there is a limited time of peace between the Natives and the English settlers, but it is constantly threatened with the looming fear of war. Once rumors begin to spread coupled with greed over land, disaster strikes. A notable battle, initiated by rumors, was Plymouth’s attack on the Massachusetts tribe. The Pilgrims heard “from an Englishman living with the Indians that the Massachusetts planned to attack both Wessagussett and Plymouth” (147). Fearing for their safety, the English decided they must institute a preemptive strike against the Natives. Standish and his army brutally attacked Wituwamat and Pecksuot, stabbing the two Massachusetts Natives, and then chasing and killing any other Natives they could find. Instead of immediate conflict, Standish could have attempted peaceful conversation with the threatening tribe, avoiding major bloodshed. The Pilgrims immediate display of violence shows how they plan to solve issues in the New World, through warfare. With the Natives turning on one another and the English greedily taking land, more conflict grew. The largest war was started when Philip rose to power as sachem. King Philips war was the most brutal and as Sam stated, it consisted of many pointless acts of violence. After the war ended sixty to eighty percent of the southern New England Natives were decimated changing the New England region forever, and leaving behind the damaging effects that war had on the colonies. Although the Pilgrims showed the ability to collaboratively form a community when working together to form a new colony, and the Natives showed courage defending their land, the wars were what left a lasting impression. As Bella stated before, the theme war also incorporates aspects of the other two themes. While fighting in the war the Natives and Pilgrims showed courage in battle. Each side also possessed a community feel when they were working together to try and win the war. The brutal wars in the Mayflower upset me, making me realize how many problems have the possibility to be fixed without violence.
ReplyDeleteThe fundamental theme in Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, is war because it shows up in many different aspects within the novel, while simultaneously testing the Pilgrims courage and sense of community as they fight these various battles. War is the act of fighting in order to achieve a crucial goal; throughout Mayflower, the Pilgrims are constantly at war battling many different things in order to establish a new life and a thriving settlement. The initial battle the Pilgrims face is a religious war, struggling to break away from the Church of England in search of religious freedom: “The motivating force behind the voyage had come from a congregation of approximately four hundred English Puritans living in Leiden, Holland. Like all Puritans, these English exiles believed that the Church of England must be purged of its many excesses and abuses… they had resolved to draw away from the Church of England… they represented the radical fringe of the Puritan movement.” (4). Together, the Pilgrims set their minds on one goal, which was to escape the Church of England and find freedom in the New World: “By sailing to the New World, they hoped to re-create the English village life they so dearly missed while remaining beyond the meddlesome reach of King James and his bishops.” (5). Throughout Mayflower, the Pilgrims struggle to fight the many battles they encounter while striving to achieve this ultimate goal. Whether it was battling starvation, “without food, the guards began to die at their posts…. ‘I [saw] one man dead before me… and another [man dead] at my right hand and another at my left for want of food’” (147), or unbearable weather conditions like the “little ice age”, the Pilgrims faced severe challenges at the very beginning of their journey. Hardships like these challenged their sense of community, and at times caused them to be at war with each other. For example, the Pilgrims turned against each other due to their hunger for land: “a growing hunger for land… ‘not for want or necessity,’ but ‘for the enriching of themselves,’ and [Bradford] predicted it would be the ‘ruin of New England’.’” (185).
ReplyDeleteDespite these pressing battles that tested the Pilgrim community, the largest and most evident war they fought throughout Mayflower was against the Native Americans. Between the First Encounter in 1620 when Miles Standish and his men were attacked by 30 Indians in the beginning of Mayflower, and the assassination of King Philip ending King Philip’s War in 1676 at the end of Mayflower, the Pilgrims were never at rest with the Native Americans.
Throughout Mayflower, the Pilgrims never stopped fighting; whether they were battling disease, starvation, nature, the Native Americans or even themselves, they were constantly at war. Not only did this constant war bring the Pilgrims closer together as a community, it also brought them closer to achieving their ultimate goal of establishing a thriving settlement and a new life in America.
The most prevalent theme in Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, is courage. Although war and community are also main themes in this novel, courage can be applied to all aspects of the book. In the early stages of the novel, the Pilgrims or separatists break away from the Church of England in search of religious freedom. This move was extremely bold and daring because, if caught, they could have been thrown in jail or even executed. Courageously, these separatists left their stable lives behind in England in search of religious freedom in the new world, which they knew little to nothing about. Many men boarded the Mayflower and Speedwell on a treacherous journey to America, leaving their wives and children behind and knowing they may never see each other again. When the Pilgrims arrived in the New World, they faced a number of daunting obstacles. After a long and strenuous journey, the pilgrims were short on food and resources and winter was fast approaching. The Pilgrims were also scared and nervous about Native Americans lurking around in nearby forests. With problems mounting, the Pilgrims forged on and tried to put up a small settlement before the brunt of winter hit. When a few Indians showed up at the Pilgrims settlement, the dangers that lurked were apparent however the Pilgrims were fearless and spoke with the Natives. The Pilgrims soon developed a strong relationship with the Natives, in particular with their leader, Massasoit. The natives helped them grow food, hunt and learn how to live in America. Without the Pilgrims being incredibly courageous, they would not have made the journey to the New World or had been nearly as successful as they were.
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ReplyDeleteWar was the theme which stood out to me the most while reading Mayflower. This was due to several reasons, the most obvious being the literal war, King Philip’s War, for which Part IV of Mayflower is named. Aside from the actual conflict, war was a dominant theme in Mayflower in earlier sections of the book because of ongoing tensions between the European settlers and various Native American tribes. The complicated systems of alliances between various groups and individuals (e.g. Winslow and Massasoit, Squanto and Bradford, Benjamin Church and the Sakonnets) caused war to perpetually seem on the horizon. Mere months after the Pilgrims’ arrival in America, a “mounting fear of Indian attack” (90) was felt. Alliances could be broken at any moment by either party, leading to a universal fear of warfare and betrayal.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s novel Mayflower, I noticed that the theme of community stood out the most. From the beginning of the novel, those aboard the Mayflower have formed a community. The Pilgrims chose a governor, Governor Carver, and were starting to discover how they work best as a group. During their time in Plymouth, to accomplish a goal they had to work together as a community. When they desired to stay safe and protected, the Pilgrims worked together to move tree trunks and bark to create a ring around their buildings. By doing so, they came together to work towards a goal of peace with the Native American communities near by. Another interesting aspect to how their community worked, was that if a smaller part of the community set of to accomplish something, it would help the entire community. One example of this is when Winslow put his efforts into Pokanoket. By doing this, Winslow was able to get Massasoit back onto their side, having Massasoit on their side would help protect the rest of the Pilgrim community. Although I noticed that community was the most prominent theme in the novel, I did notice a large amount of courage and war. Every single Pilgrim was filled with with courage. They left a land they considered home and came somewhere new to restart their entire lives. Some more courageous than others, such as the Pilgrim’s leaders and strong fighters. War was also a common theme. The day Standish invited Wituwamat and Pecksuot into a settlement house was one of the times war was at its peak. Standish brought the Natives in for a feast and killed them and the others with them. Standish came to a point of making a decision “to kill any Indians who happened to be with them.” (pg. 152) I realized that community stood out the most because in their community they had courage and they had war. Courage and war were just factors into their being a group, bound together by where the come from and the land they now are considering home.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme of courage stood out the most in my mind. From the very beginning the Pilgrims faced difficulties that they would have to persevere through. Throughout their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean the Pilgrims we plagued with bad weather, sickness, and ship problems. In addition, they were nearing winter as they ran out of firewood and rationed their last drops of water and beer. On top of all that there was no certainty that the ship would even make it to America. The Pilgrims were determined to obtain religious freedom. They were willing to endure the crossing of the Atlantic and they had the courage to settle in America regardless of the struggle of previous settlements. For example, the Jamestown settlement whose population was cut in half after the first year. The Pilgrims left everything they had in Europe in an all put effort to settle in America. Once the grueling voyage was only the beginning of the Pilgrims' struggle. After arriving in America they would immediately have to begin finding food and building shelter. As the colonies before them had experienced there would be many deaths in the first year. The courage and determination of the Pilgrims kept them from giving up and going back to Europe.
ReplyDeleteConstant fighting and competition with Native Americans made life for the Pilgrims even more difficult. As a result of previous European actions such as enslaving Native Americans there was hatred growing in the minds of the Natives. Animosity towards the Europeans led to countless attacks on settlers. In addition to the attacks the Pilgrims and Native Americans also competed for the food in the area. It took a lot of courage for the Pilgrims to trust and work with the Natives. For example, when they trusted Squanto as the interpreter. They put their trust in Squanto and had no way to tell if he was lying to them. The courage of the Pilgrims allowed them to persevere and settle in America despite many tough times.
Although war and community were important themes in Philbrick's Mayflower, courage was the theme that stuck out to me the most. The men and women aboard the Mayflower left their lives behind in England, all for religious freedom. The living conditions on the ship were anything but ideal, disease was sure to spread, and the most terrifying aspect of the trip was that nobody was there to meet them at the other side, besides the Natives. They had to completely start over, if that's not bravery I don't know what is.
ReplyDeleteNot only was the Pilgrims' courage present when they crossed the Atlantic, it was also a theme once they struck land at Plymouth. In order to prevent being attacked by Native tribes, the Pilgrims had to make a statement, striking fear into the hearts of their enemies. When Standish and Hobbanock led the trip to Nemasket to find Corbitant, that's exactly what they had on their minds. Once they arrived there, Standish "burst" into Corbitant's wigwam, shouting his name. He actually wasn't there at the time, but the people who were "were too terror-stricken to speak" (115). This act of courage and power gave the Pilgrims a better reputation with the natives. They were more scared to attack the Pilgrims, so the Pilgrims had more time to build up Plymouth. Without courageous acts like these, the Pilgrims' future in America would've been short.
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ReplyDeleteAmong the themes in Mayflower courage is the most potent. Not only did it take an immense amount of courage for the Pilgrims to leave their home of England, but it is also seen throughout story. The Pilgrims courageously defied the King, but not without their issues. The original Separatists or Pilgrims were people “who were willing to endure almost anything if it meant they could worship as they please”(4), in fact the leaders of the group spent multiple months in jail. This did not deter them from audaciously trying again, and leaving behind friends and family to pursue religious freedom. Once they reached the New World the problems did not subside. Coming to shore at Cape Cod when their patent was issued for the Hudson River area was one thing, but staying there showed great courage. Going against the English government again they stayed on Cape Cod. Running low on food and supplies, with many of the people on board fighting illness, some of the most courageous men went ashore to find more sustenance. Finding a supply of Native corn and stealing it did not start the Pilgrims off on a good foot with the Native Americans. When King Philip's war erupted the people of Plymouth colonies were rarely victorious, but that did not stop them from pushing on and coming out on top by courageously asking groups of friendly Indians for their assistance. Through ups and downs in the relationship between the Englishmen and the Natives, both parties showed great courage. In contempt of the harsh winter, their rocky relationship with the natives and constant diseases the people of the New England Colonies did not abandon their courage, making it the most predominant theme of the book.
ReplyDeleteCommunity is a primary theme in Nathaniel Philbrick’s The Mayflower. While most stories focus on the journey of one individual, the “protagonist” of The Mayflower is a community of people. Joined together by a common desire to better their lives, the group of pilgrims faced hardships and obstacles together while keeping in mind the communal goal to find a safe home in which their religious practices can be ensued. In the beginning of the novel, we learn about a close group of Puritans living in Holland. The Puritans shared the same passion for their religion and “had no use for the Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer, since it tampered with the original meaning of the Bible and inhibited the spontaneity that they felt was essential to attained a true and honest glimpse of the divine” (8-9). This shared passion is what ultimately drives this group of individuals to bond together in order to escape persecution and achieve religious freedom in America.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Pilgrims arrive in America, they interact, trade, and develop new traditions accustomed by the Native American “Pokanoket Tribe”. While the Native Americans were teaching the English to plant seeds and hunt animals, the English had more innovative tools and inventions that helped enhance the Indians rustic capabilities. The English and Native Americans were thus able to bring differing skill sets to the table in order to improve each others’ lives within their communities. As long as the pilgrims and Indians were dependent upon each other, both communities would continue to succeed in the New World.
Mayflower ultimately tells the story of two communities colliding and how they deal with the aftermath. The Pilgrims would have never survived the voyage to the New World, nor the year of hardship and suffering when they reached New England, if they had not been a tight knit community. The “Strangers” (Philbrick 40) who travelled to the New World on the Mayflower with the hopes of making a profit worried the Pilgrims as they would all have to live in a settlement together despite their differences; but even the “Strangers recognized that the only way for the settlement to succeed financially was if everyone worked together” (Philbrick 40). Likewise, each Native American village worked together with other villages in their tribe. King Philip’s war caused even the tribes in New England to join together and form a “group of Nipmucks, Pokanokets, Pocassets, Narragansetts, and Connecticut River valley Indians” (Philbrick 301) to fight against the Europeans. While each of these separate peoples had their own communities, the natives and the Europeans would form relationships throughout this period of history. During the first years of Plymouth the local natives became friendly with the Pilgrims, and “Massasoit’s decision to offer them assistance had saved the Pilgrims’ lives” (Philbrick 119). Over time this harmonious relationship became strained resulting in the King Philip’s War where once again Native Americans would join in communities and alliances with the Pilgrims, only to fight their fellow tribes.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the most prevalent theme I noticed was community. As others have discussed, the pilgrims had to form an unbreakable community to survive in America, and even to get there. Even the “strangers” had to be tolerated and incorporated in to life on the ship and in the colony, and the Pilgrims managed to do it with great success, despite minor issues with certain people’s beliefs or attitudes. One such person was a nameless “proud and very profane young” (30) sailor who made the Pilgrim’s journey practically unbearable. However they did not retaliate and, ironically, he was the first to die of disease on the journey. The Pilgrims formed a tight community, but I also noticed that the Natives displayed this quality extensively as well. Each tribe, whether working with or against the pilgrims worked together as a tight unit with very little infighting, excluding a few individuals, such as Squanto. Even more noticeably, during King Phillip’s war “Indian’s from across New England banded together” (298) to fight for their ancestral land. Admittedly, some tribes did join the Pilgrim’s side, however the tribes who did cooperate worked well together until their loss was inevitable and their strategy began to disintegrate. From the beginning of the Mayflower, Philbrick highlights the bonds that form each community fighting for survival in America.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the most noticeable theme to me was courage. The Pilgrims had to overcome many hardships and times of darkness throughout the story. From the very beginning of their journey, all odds were against them. The sixty-five day voyage across the Atlantic had a toll on the Pilgrims. The ship was rampant with disease and food and water supply was extremely low. To add to the horrid conditions of the ship, the Pilgrims had no idea what was in store for them when they did reach land. Nevertheless, these dreadful circumstances were not enough to break the Pilgrims’ courage and they eventually reached Cape Cod.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel the Natives outnumbered the English. The Natives knew the land and its surroundings better than the Pilgrims and had more effective war tactics. However, this did not make the Pilgrims sit in fear and suck their thumbs. The Pilgrims’ courage would lead them to many victories led by commanders like Church, Standish, Bradford, etc. In many instances the English would be near defeat, but their courage ridden souls continued to fight till the very last bullet left the muskets. If the Pilgrims hadn’t possessed the great deal of courage they did, America would not be what it is today.
In the novel Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the most noticeable theme to me was courage. The Pilgrims had to overcome many hardships and times of darkness throughout the story. From the very beginning of their journey, all odds were against them. The sixty-five day voyage across the Atlantic had a toll on the Pilgrims. The ship was rampant with disease and food and water supply was extremely low. To add to the horrid conditions of the ship, the Pilgrims had no idea what was in store for them when they did reach land. Nevertheless, these dreadful circumstances were not enough to break the Pilgrims’ courage and they eventually reached Cape Cod.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel the Natives outnumbered the English. The Natives knew the land and its surroundings better than the Pilgrims and had more effective war tactics. However, this did not make the Pilgrims sit in fear and suck their thumbs. The Pilgrims’ courage would lead them to many victories led by commanders like Church, Standish, Bradford, etc. In many instances the English would be near defeat, but their courage ridden souls continued to fight till the very last bullet left the muskets. If the Pilgrims hadn’t possessed the great deal of courage they did, America would not be what it is today.
Throughout reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, I found the theme of courage to stand out the most. The Pilgrims needed this trait of courage to not only bring them to the New World, but to survive once they had arrived. In order to go to the New World, the Pilgrims had to leave behind everything for a new start, where they could freely practice their beliefs at the cost of completely rebuilding their lives. These separatists from Leiden were unusual in the fact that they were families, “willing to endure almost anything if it meant they could worship as they pleased”(4). The Pilgrims had heard of the terrors of the Indians and the settlers of Jamestown, but still had the courage to go to the New World anyways. After subjecting themselves to the treacherous journey across the Atlantic Ocean, the Pilgrims had to submerge themselves into their unknown surroundings until finally coming across Plymouth. Even after encountering the Indians and learning their willingness to fight, the Pilgrims were still set on colonizing. They held onto this courage to keep going throughout, and the bravery did not waver as King Philip’s War broke out. The Pilgrims were at many disadvantages, but they still used everything they had to fight for themselves. Even after countless losses, the Pilgrims never let go of the courage that brought them to the New World, and this is why I believe that courage is the most prominent theme in Mayflower.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, war is the predominant theme of Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick. Throughout the book, bloodshed is consistently prevalent amongst the various groups in New England, from the Pilgrims' initial arrival in 1620, to the end of the King Philip's War in 1676. Upon the Europeans' arrival, their attempt to build a stable society, free of religious intolerance, creates immense conflict for the natives, who see the newcomers as an invasive species. Due to prior unfortunate encounters with Europeans, the natives immediately perceive the Pilgrims as ruthless troublemakers and do not give them the benefit of the doubt. In addition, their disrespectful actions, such as stealing "as much corn as [will] fit into a kettle" and digging up native burial sites, fail to give a good first impression and assure the natives that they are as troublesome as previous foreign merchants and explorers (93). For this reason, when the natives and a small group of Pilgrims finally come face to face, at "First Encounter Beach in Eastham," the Pilgrims are attacked by "at least thirty Indians" and "suddenly the air [is] filled with arrows" (102-103). From this point on the Pilgrims felt "it was clear that goodwill was going to be difficult to find" and knew warfare was inescapable. While reading the book I felt as though there was always warfare occurring, practically regardless of people's actions, whether it was amongst the various native tribes, amongst the various European groups, or between the two. In my opinion, the Pilgrims' failure to create trustworthy relationships with all the natives, and failure to maintain the few temporary ones they did develop, led to the consistent warfare that took place throughout the book. This is because sturdy alliances and relationships are vital to foreign settlers, who run the risk of being seen as invaders by existent inhabitants, who share common characteristics and motives, and tend to fight together, to prevent conquest of their land. The Pilgrims' betrayals of various tribes and sachems, such as their rumored kidnapping of Massasoit, immediately got them in trouble with other tribes whom had connections to, and common characteristics with, the other. Although many sources of warfare in the book consisted of small scale fighting that amounted to few deaths, large scale warfare also led to hundreds of deaths. For example, the Pequot War of 1637 amounted to the deaths of "approximately four hundred Pequot men, women, and children," and introduced New England to "the horrors of European genocide" (237). Also, the Great Swamp Fight amounted to the deaths and casualties of “somewhere between 350 and 600 Native men, women, and children,” and eighty of [the] three hundred [English] soldiers," which is "more than 20 percent" (365). Lastly, during the King Philip's War, "Plymouth Colony lost close to 8 percent of its men," and 8,000 of the 20,000 natives were killed, injured, shipped off as slaves, or fled. Throughout the book the English repeatedly went out of their way to kill off natives, (and vise versa) in order to develop and maintain a large, strong, and powerful society in New England, and got themselves into warfare. Consequently, overall, despite their accomplishments and advances, both the newcomers and natives experienced harsh set backs and multiple deaths. I think war is the main theme of the book because even though courage and community are heavily portrayed as well, warfare is practically unavoidable throughout, and it encompasses the two sub-themes; the courage the English and natives display in the New World is mostly in warefare, and the strength of their communities is what leads to their evident success or failure in war.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the predominant theme in Philbrick’s Mayflower, is community because without the common interest of those who were in search of a better life, the colonization of the New World would not have been a success. The Mayflower had two distinct groups of people: the “Seperatists” and the “Strangers.” “The Strangers recognized that the only way for the settlement to succeed financially was if everyone worked together.” (40) This initial bond shows the sense of community the passengers started out with before the even reached the shore that was the basis of their society. Also before the landed the passengers made a “binding agreement…know as the Mayflower Compact.” (40) This compact prevented any disunion between the Strangers and the Pilgrims, which allowed them to work together when they reached the island. Community is also relevant when there was tension between the Englishmen and Massasoit and the Pokanoket tribe. Instead of it escalating to violence, Massasoit, Bradford, and Winslow sat down and made a peace treaty. The treaty again unified the tribe and the Pilgrims and created a sense of community between them. Lastly, when boundaries between colonies were being disputed and powerful Indians were learning to “exploit the needs and fears of both the English and the Indians,” (180) the United Colonies of New England arose. The union allowed each colony to have a delegate to represent it so issues could be worked out, thus strengthening the sense of community in the region. I believe that without the predominant theme of community throughout Mayflower, our history would no be the same.
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ReplyDeleteWhile reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme community stood out to me the most. In the beginning of their journey across the Atlantic 102 people bravely united together as one. While courage was definitely important, the English men and women could not have made their journey without the love, support, and help from their fellow voyagers. After their arrival, their first winter in the New World was soon to come. With little to no resources left, or time to farm and harvest crops, they had to pool their resources for survival. In order to become a stable unit, the Pilgrims came together to create what is known as the Mayflower Compact. They created a government that had everyone in agreement. They would become a political body and “all agree to submit to the laws drawn up by their duly elected officials” (41). After a government was loosely secured, the brutal first winter arrived. During their first winter, forty-five of the 102 passengers died. Although nearly half of their working force was gone, “seven houses were built in the first year, plus another four buildings for common use” (84). Using strength and determination they combined their efforts in order to live. For the first year especially, but also for the years to come, the self-serving “every man for himself” lifestyle was simply not an option for the Pilgrims in this new and unknown land. Additionally, with the rise of threat from rival Native leaders “it was important that the English colonies attempt to act as a unified body” (180). One of the key factors that united the Pilgrims was their heritage, particularly religion. During King Philip’s War, Mary Rowlandson finds comfort in the line from Deuteronomy; “though we were scattered from one end of the earth to the other, yet the Lord would gather us together” (202). The common faith shared by everyone was one of the strongest bonds that connected the Pilgrims. As a result of the harmony between the Pilgrims, they thrived at their new settlement. Therefore, I believe that community was the most common theme in the book.
ReplyDeleteIn Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower, the theme of courage is continuously shown to be a catalyst of the events in the lives of the Pilgrims and other early Americans. From the very beginning, the Pilgrims showed their courage through their actions. When they were being persecuted in England, their community picked up and moved to Leiden, Holland, without knowing a soul in the city. Twelve years later, they realized that they weren’t happy with their lives in Leiden, and decided to venture where few had gone before: the New World. Many would have given up, but the Pilgrims courageously sold what they had and endured a long journey across the ocean filled with set-backs and hardship.
ReplyDeleteWith their courage, the Pilgrims showed others in Europe that it was possible to create a settlement in the New World. Not many could survive in freezing conditions with little food and the constant threat of an attack by the Natives, but the Pilgrims overcame these obstacles. If it hadn’t been for the courage and success of the Pilgrims, other groups wouldn’t have attempted settlements in New England. Because of the success of the Pilgrims, New England soon became a thriving society.
Courage was a major theme in the last part of the book, focused on King Philip’s War. One specific example is Benjamin Church. From the beginning, Church showed his courage by building his home in an area extremely close to the Sakonnet tribe and isolated from other colonists. This allowed him to befriend the Sakonnets, which would later be key in his role in the King Philip’s War. Church showed his courage when he stood up to Colony officials and moved his family to territory in Rhode Island, and again when he led a haphazard group of men into battle during the Great Swamp Fight. Church’s courage and bravery created great morale throughout the war, and when he finally brought down Philip, Church proved that courage and quickness can win a war against the odds.
Whilst reading Mayflower, it is evident that war is the largest factor contributing to how America came to be to this day. From the moment the Pilgrims set up their rest and landed on Plymouth rock, their main course of action was to ultimately conquer and destroy. One of the first real attacks on the Natives was “Standish’s terrifying whirlwind of violence” (153) where blood was shed to no end. With Standish’s goal to kill as many Natives as he could, we see the white supremacy increasingly take shape and form among the Pilgrims. This attack on Wessagussett more or less ignited the flame of the everlasting conflict between the two groups, which later transcends into King Philip's War in 1675. The Natives give their last and final effort to drive the English settlers out of America, proving that from the very beginning until the very end, the notion of warfare was a constant threat for both colonists and Natives.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Olivia makes a valid point about the prominence of war in New England during the 17th century, personally the concept of community stood out the most. The sense of community among the settlers, is essentially what allowed them to overcome their collective struggles, even when it seemed they should not have been able to. The Pilgrims had numerous obstacles thrown at them at once, many battles to overcome, and without a strong sense of community between themselves and some of the natives, the story would have been vastly different.
DeleteEvidently, the Pilgrims and the natives did not possess many similarities, other than the land they shared. Even so, they were able to band together in times of need in order to ensure their survival. Eleven months prior to the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims arrived at the tip of Cape Cod, most of them feeling rather fearful and unsure of what might happen. Philbrick states, "by all rights, none of the Pilgrims should have emerged from the first winter alive" (119). It is also mentioned that the Pilgrims easily could have sought out a strict policy of isolationism, shutting the natives out completely. Albeit the Pilgrims and the natives certainly engaged in a multitude of wars throughout the years, the Pilgrims essentially saved themselves by participating in the "diplomatic process in southern New England" (119). In this sense, they became actively involved in the community, sending Winslow and Hopkins to Sowams, reimbursing the Nausets for the corn, and by pledging their loyalty to Massasoit in Nemasket. Not only that, but the first Thanksgiving, arguably the most recognized event from this point in history, embodies the notion of community. I am not denying the fact that war was a prominent theme, but rather stating that personally, the strong sense of community resonated more with me after reading Mayflower. The Pilgrims worked with the natives when they could, and they also worked with each other to accomplish their goals, proving that above all, their loyalty to each other is what allowed Plymouth Colony to last.
As with many of my classmates, the theme of war is the most prevalent in Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower. Although the original goal for the Pilgrims as they traveled to the New World was to create a society free of religious intolerance and secularity, it became apparent that it was necessary to adapt to the native way of life in order to survive. Unfortunately as the Pilgrims were dragged into more and more native conflict, skirmishes led to battles and battles led to a full scale pan-indian war against the Pilgrims and their allies. Although courage and community were both essential to the book, but Mayflower chose to focus on the broken alliances created by the second generation of Pilgrims more than the courage of the first winter and the travel across the Atlantic. As for community, the first generation of Pilgrims was able to make a pure community. However, the second generation of Pilgrims with the introduction of the puritans created a tense society which ruined native ties and led to war; so much for a healthy community. Warfare is the only subtheme able to encompass the other two, and is the most prevalent theme in Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower.
ReplyDeleteThe main theme of Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower is war. From the first interaction to the end of King Philip's War, the relationship between Pilgrims and Native Americans is defined by conflict. One of the first structures built in the new world was the beginnings of a fort. “On the morning of thursday, december 28, they turned their attention to the high hill, where they began to construct a wooden platform on which to mount various cannons they had brought with them aboard the Mayflower.” (Philbrick 84). The first actions of the Pilgrims is in preparation of war which set the tone for the rest of history in the new world. At the end of Mayflower, the conflict resolves with the mounting of the last two great indian war generals' heads on pikes outside of Plymouth. Although courage and community are shown, they are expressed in the actions of war heroes and the teamwork of community in a wartime situation. Therefore, war stands out the most because it is seen throughout the book and it is what drives the other two themes.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s novel Mayflower, I noticed that the theme of war stuck out to me the most. From the beginning of the novel the Pilgrims left everything behind in Europe to start to fight the war for their religious freedom. They were willing to risk everything they had to fight for a common goal. The war only continued to rage when the Pilgrims were aboard the Mayflower; however, not with the King himself this time, but with extremely horrific living conditions on the ship. Upon arrival in America the Pilgrims were faced with hostile Indians who were ready to defend their land at all costs. The Pilgrims soon realized they must come together and build an army to fight a war with some of the Native population. The Pilgrims had a great strategic and brave commander who led them into battle, “For the next six hours Moseley and his men put up a tremendous fight. Scorning the Natives’ scattered style of warfare, Moseley ordered his vastly outnumbered men to remain together as a unit as they marched back and forth through the Natives’ ranks firing relentlessly…. The next day, sixty-four Englishmen were buried in a single mass grave”(262). The horacities of war are undeniable, however, the war the Pilgrims started by leaving Europe years before is too great not to fight against the Indians. The Pilgrims are willing to sacrifice everything to keep the common goal of religious freedom that they are fighting for.
ReplyDeleteAfter having finished The Mayflower, it seems that the theme of war was the most dominant. When the white religious fanatics first arrived on the continent, which was inhabited by an entirely foreign and full people, war was a possibility and a threat that immediately made itself evident and ever-present. The white invaders, having arrived with weapons and foreign ideals and foreign aims, set the stage for conflict; they brought any future conflict upon themselves. Thrusting yourself into another peoples’ land is not something that cannot be done without any violent repercussions; whether immediate or potential or gradual. The arrival of the white people, and the establishment of their various permanent settlements across New England, furthermore, drove the indigenous people to have conflict amongst themselves; as a new political entity shows up in the Natives’ realm of life, some Natives chose to align themselves with the white newcomers or some chose to confront and fight the white newcomers. Additionally, the white man’s close-minded and usually bigoted religious views would only lead to war. The whites’ reference to the Natives as heathens and beasts, an obvious indication to the white peoples’ views of the supposed inferiority of the natives, is something that brings forth the concept of war. All conflict derives from the perspective of one faction which views itself as better in its goals and intentions or more fit in its existence than the opposing other. The very existence of America today is a testament to how war dominates the story of the conceiving (not birth) of this nation (which is literally what Nathaniel Philbrick’s book is about). The entitled, racist, religious, and prideful attitude that the white invaders had, which was thoroughly described in the book, and the vast conflicts between the natives and the whites; like King Phillip’s War, clearly shows that war is the most outstanding theme of this history and book. Also, war is not something exclusive to humans versus humans. It seems that a form of war was fought between the relentless forces of nature and the humans, both white and Native. The trip of the original Pilgrims in and of itself was a war; the harsh ocean battled with the will and the physical strength of the journeyers. Then, such as the first winters that the Pilgrims had to suffer through or the diseases that the white invaders brought to the Natives, the war between man and nature is constant throughout this book. In conclusion, whether it was the constant potential or present conflict between the different peoples or the consistent struggle of humanity versus nature, this book is dominated by the theme of war.
ReplyDeleteAs I read, the theme that stands out to me the most in Mayflower is courage. The story starts with a group of people who had to move to the unknown but promising lands if they wanted to preach however they wanted to. As a person who knows what it is to move to a completely new and different place, I have an idea of what fear they must have felt while preparing for their journey. Even with death and disease surrounding them, with lack of provisions and the weather's inconstancy, they have not given up for what the came here. Whether it was the Natives or the wilderness, the Pilgrims dealt with the troubles that were coming their way in a forward manner. The courage of many has supported the settlements through their first years in America, but the courage of some individuals was what helped the most. For example, when their first ally sachem Massasoit was taken by the Narragansetts, the Pilgrims lent their warriors to help rescue him from a far greater in number tribe. Much later, when Massasoit's son Philip started a war against the English, the courage and the quick mind of Benjamin Church helped to unite some of the former enemy tribes into one army to fight the Pokanoket sachem.
ReplyDeleteLike many of my peers, I found that war was the most predominant theme in Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower. As soon as the Pilgrims set foot in America, they had a self-centered, conflict-ready mindset, and they made the decision to put their own wellbeing ahead of peace with the natives. In their desperation to survive during their first weeks in the New World, Miles Standish and his men “decided that they had no choice but to take the corn”(64) that the natives had buried at Corn Hill. They promised themselves to leave gifts for the natives to compensate for the stolen maize; however, peace with the natives clearly was not at the forefront of their minds, because they never came through on their word. Later in the story, Standish and his men attacked Thomas Morton’s settlement at Merrymount. In the attack, the Pilgrims fought viciously, and “‘fell upon [Morton] as if they would have eaten him’”(164), leading him “to question who were now the true savages in this land”(164). As this event shows, the Pilgrims’ aggression and warlike attitude were not just directed towards those who were racially different; anyone who was not a pious, modest Christian of European descent was at risk of an attack. Finally, at the end of the story, these tensions culminated in King Philip’s War, a costly and brutal conflict with numerous casualties.
ReplyDeleteI found that the theme of courage was the most prominent throughout Philbrick’s Mayflower. The Pilgrims' had a special drive and determination to not only disobey the Church of England and live by their own rules, but also to stay alive and prosper through the harsh conditions and situations they experienced. “For sixty-five days, the Mayflower had blundered her way through storms and headwinds…” (3) As the novel begins, courage is shown immediately through the Pilgrim’s journey from England to Massachusetts. Aware that “all other attempts to establish a permanent English settlement on the North American continent had so far failed” (5), the Pilgrims still set off to succeed and create a new life in which they could worship freely. While on the journey to New England, the Pilgrim’s experienced several hardships such as shortages of food, firewood and water, diseases traveling throughout, a few deaths, and a harsh winter ahead. Yet, the Pilgrims did not turn around, for their passion and courage to worship freely was too strong.
ReplyDeleteUpon arriving in New England, the Pilgrims’ notice the land is not very promising. Struggling to find food, fertile land, and in competition with the Native Americans, this new life did not seem too great for the Pilgrims. Overcoming these hardships was essential to the Pilgrims’ success in creating a new life. Through courage and willpower, the Pilgrims approached the Indians, making agreements and friendships with he Natives, such as the Pokanokets and Massasoit, enabling them to be successful in building an organized and well-run community. Having the courage to overcome these hardships and create a good relationship with the Native Americans empowered the Pilgrims to have success and prosper when creating a new life.
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ReplyDeleteThe theme of courage stood out the most to me throughout the Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. Despite his efforts, William Bradford ultimately failed in making his ideal community of saints, and as we know, a peaceful coexistence with the natives was not achieved. War was a large part of the novel; however, the first few decades, some might say the most important ones, of Plymouth colony were mostly peaceful. Meanwhile, courage was a theme consistent throughout the entire book. From the very beginning, the passengers of The Mayflower had to have been very brave to leave everything behind and sail for the unknown. Many of the Pilgrims even sold all of their property to fund the voyage, which shows complete dedication to their cause. Once in the New World, the Pilgrims had no experience with surviving in such wild conditions, and knew that they could not do so on their own. Philbrick says that if they had been arrogant and kept a policy of religious isolation, they would have died during that first year. But they didn’t. They were brave enough to let go of some of their religious doctrines in order to adapt to their new environment, and accept help from the natives. Courage was seen in people like Bradford, who continued to be a strong leader despite leaving his son, and the deaths of his wife, Squanto, and Pastor Robinson. Courage was seen everywhere during King Philip’s War, be it in the warriors who continued to fight even when there was no hope, or in the constant supply of volunteer soldiers who would follow their captain anywhere. Benjamin Church was a constant example of courage, giving his soldiers hope even against impossible odds, like in the Pease Field Fight. Church’s use of unconventional methods and his tendency to attack even when greatly outnumbered were major factors of the English victory. Philbrick states that in the centuries following Plymouth, America would be shaped by a new kind of people: brave frontiersmen like Benjamin Church.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, I found the theme of war most prevalent. While this only surfaced in a few key events, such as The Pilgrim attacks on the Massachusetts, war is always prevalent in the background. This is true of relations between all settlements and villages in the book, both English and Native. When The Pilgrims first arrive on North American soil, one of their top priorities is avoiding conflict with the Native Americans. To the best of their abilities, the settlers do everything they can to deter war; This begins with reimbursing those that they had stolen from, and eventually surfaces as more diplomatic agreements with Massasoit. Their relationship with Massasoit eventually informs them on an imminent assault on their settlement, prompting them to attack the Massachusetts and their allies. Before The Mayflower even lay anchor in Plymouth, there was a power struggle in the region completely separate from The English. Each Native American tribe, including the Pokanokets, was at odds with each other. Additionally, it is later learned that Squanto planned to gain control of The Cape, and hence become the most powerful sachem in the region. Through manipulation of both the Pokanokets and The Pilgrims, he planned to rid the area of all opposing tribes, then overthrow Massasoit and gain control of the Pokanokets. Behind every action in Mayflower, war persists as a consideration.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, I found the theme of war most prevalent. While this only surfaced in a few key events, such as The Pilgrim attacks on the Massachusetts, war is always prevalent in the background. This is true of relations between all settlements and villages in the book, both English and Native. When The Pilgrims first arrive on North American soil, one of their top priorities is avoiding conflict with the Native Americans. To the best of their abilities, the settlers do everything they can to deter war; This begins with reimbursing those that they had stolen from, and eventually surfaces as more diplomatic agreements with Massasoit. Their relationship with Massasoit eventually informs them on an imminent assault on their settlement, prompting them to attack the Massachusetts and their allies. Before The Mayflower even lay anchor in Plymouth, there was a power struggle in the region completely separate from The English. Each Native American tribe, including the Pokanokets, was at odds with each other. Additionally, it is later learned that Squanto planned to gain control of The Cape, and hence become the most powerful sachem in the region. Through manipulation of both the Pokanokets and The Pilgrims, he planned to rid the area of all opposing tribes, then overthrow Massasoit and gain control of the Pokanokets. Behind every action in Mayflower, war persists as a consideration.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the theme that I perceived to stand out the most was community. The Pilgrims had to develop a strong sense of community to reach and survive in America, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able endure the journey. The Pilgrims were able to remain together and even become tolerant of “strangers.” This communal sense made life on the ship and in the colony easier to bear, despite issues with different people. One issue being that, “the sailors took great delight in mocking the sufferings of their charges.’ (30) These sailors made the Pilgrim’s journey less than pleasing. However they didn’t ever get back at their tormentors. In fact one of the first to die was one of these sailors. This demonstrates how their close community remained close despite being ostracized by many other people. The Pilgrims formed a strong community which allowed them to cooperate throughout the voyage and survive in the colony. Throughout the Mayflower, Philbrick demonstrates how the Pilgrim’s sense of community allowed them to survive in America.
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ReplyDeleteFrom start to finish of Mayflower, one theme that always stood out to me was that of community. Before they even ventured to the New World their community was brought together by the search for religious freedom. On their journey across the Atlantic Ocean the need for community and structure was a main topic. The Pilgrims sat down and developed some basic framework of how to keep them together on the Mayflower an when they arrive on land. When they arrived in the New World all they had at first was each other. It became easier to settle down as bonds were created and others such as "strangers" were tolerated. War was very prevalent throughout Mayflower as well but the Pilgrims were able to withstand it and survive due to their strong community. Their community is what held them together and allowed them to survive which would eventually grow into the America we live in today
ReplyDeleteThroughout the course of the book Mayflower by Nathanial Philbrick, the theme of courage is apparent. Fleeing everything they knew to pursue their religious freedom, the Pilgrims made a courageous move to the New World. The Pilgrims had no way to know if they would succeed in their pursuit. They suffered long, hard months at sea, dying looking for a better life. However, "adversity seemed to intensify their clannish commitment to one another" (17), furthermore proving that the Pilgrims began their journey with bravery and resilience. Not only that, but it took courage for both the Native Americans and the Pilgrims to trust each other initially and come to terms with a set of agreements. Neither knew the intentions of the other group, but courageously trusted each other, at least for a short time. Not only did the Pilgrims deal with political and religious turmoil, but emotional pain as well. Many died on their hunt for a better life, and dealing with the deaths of family and friends, in addition to establishing a community, is a situation that undoubtedly could not be handled without courage. Without courage, the Pilgrims would never have sailed to the New World, making it the most prevalent theme of Mayflower by Nathanial Philbrick.
ReplyDeleteThroughout Mayflower, Philbrick attempts to instill a sense of community in the early history of colonial America by discussing a variety of disparate events through the lens of the interactions of individuals rather than politics and economics. Prior to their departure, the Pilgrims were a group best described as a community- they were “knit together as a body in a most strict and sacred bond” (6). Throughout the rest of the book, this sense is maintained through such asides as that about Edward Winslow’s marriage (104) and Bradford’s personal misfortunes (187). This is compounded by the continuing focus on individuals. Prior to 1630, this was very reasonable; Plymouth had a very modest population and thus its fortunes depended largely on the acts and opinions of specific people. After this point, and certainly going into King Phillip’s War, the focus on people such as Church, Moseley, and Rowlandson exemplify the intent, rather than necessity driving this angle. Thus the theme of community is expressed most clearly, by nature in the first section, and by design from there on.
ReplyDeleteIn my view, courage is the most apparent theme in the novel Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. If the Pilgrims had one consistency in their life it was faith. The Pilgrims faith drove them to do many courageous things. The most obvious act of courage was leaving their homes in search of a land where they could worship in peace, and not be persecuted for their particular faith. They faced many obstacles on their journey including horrendous physical challenges, including starvation and disease. The conditions on the ship were horrid, but the unknown of the this new place the Pilgrims were traveling to is, in my opinion, the most frightening aspect of the journey. Imagine traveling on a ship, where disease ruled and starvation was a constant threat and not even knowing what the destination was going to be like? The faith these Pilgrims had was the driving force that pushed them to endure physical and mental obstacles that are beyond imaginable. Even if you don't necessarily have the same religious faith that this extreme group did, you have to admit that their courage is admirable. I think one quote accurately sums up the courage the Pilgrims had, who were relatively normal people (not your stereotypical noblemen): " these were for the most part families- men, women and children who were willing to endure almost anything if it meant they could worship as they please” (4).
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, I found the theme of courage to stand out the most. The Pilgrims show courage when they leave their homes in England in search for a better life for their families in Leiden, Holland. Later, the Pilgrims made the decision to sail to America in search for a new life where they can make their own rules and raise their families how they want, without having to worry about living how the government wants them to live. Both the Pilgrims and Pokanoket tribe are courageous later in the story. By trusting the other in regards to an alliance, both parties exhibit courage which becomes beneficial over time. The Pilgrims are taught how to survive and build from the ground up, while the Pokanoket benefit through the gain of political power over other tribes in New England. The theme that stands throughout Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick is courage, because both the Pilgrims and the Pokanoket tribe express it and benefit from their courage.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, I found the theme of courage to stand out the most. The Pilgrims show courage when they leave their homes in England in search for a better life for their families in Leiden, Holland. Later, the Pilgrims made the decision to sail to America in search for a new life where they can make their own rules and raise their families how they want, without having to worry about living how the government wants them to live. Both the Pilgrims and Pokanoket tribe are courageous later in the story. By trusting the other in regards to an alliance, both parties exhibit courage which becomes beneficial over time. The Pilgrims are taught how to survive and build from the ground up, while the Pokanoket benefit through the gain of political power over other tribes in New England. The theme that stands throughout Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick is courage, because both the Pilgrims and the Pokanoket tribe express it and benefit from their courage.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading “Mayflower” by Nathaniel Philbrick, a key theme throughout the book is community. Even before The Puritans arrived in Plymouth, they faced many challenges, such as being persecuted for their beliefs in Europe, and the grueling journey across the Atlantic Ocean that left many dead before they were able to reach religious freedom. The Puritans were able to create a very strong community because they relied on their faith to give them the strength to continue and they were fueled by the desire for the freedom of religion without persecution. After they arrived at the New World, they were faced with more problems than were expected; the first winter brought starvation, disease, and death, that caused the death of half of the population, and the troubling relationship with the Native Americans that was one of the contributing factors to the beginning of King Phillip’s War. Because of the foundation of a strong community in the Plymouth colony, the Puritans were able to overcome the many obstacles that stood in the way of them being a successful and strong colony, which created the base for a community that allowed a sense of freedom people in Europe were deprived of.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick courage is a theme that stands out. From the very beginning, the Pilgrims were courageous people looking for religious tolerance. People like William Bradford put everything on the line and sold their homes. The Pilgrims went into the voyage with complete uncertainty of what was going to happen. “All they knew for certain was that if they did somehow succeed in crossing this three-thousand-mile stretch of ocean, no one-- except perhaps for some hostile Indians-- would be there to greet them” (30). The act of putting everything on the line and fully depending on a trip that leads to an uncertain place is undoubtedly courageous. In addition, the Pilgrims and the Native Americans were courageous while initiating agreements. They took the risk of trusting one another even though they did not know much about one another. Benjamin Church constantly exemplified courage, even when “he became the first Englishman to settle in...Sakonnet. Instead of being intimidated by the fact that he was the only Englishman, Church relished in the chance to start from scratch” (233). Also, he gave his soldiers hope and continued to fight under dangerous conditions. At Pocasset Swamp Church described how his men “bravely and wonderfully defended themselves” despite facing such an overwhelming force of Indians. He encouraged courageousness and determination amongst his soldiers. Courageous people, like the Pilgrims and Church, allowed for the beginning of a new community.
ReplyDeleteWar is used as a tool in the events of the book - as a threat, as a power grab - and it guides every decision the settlers make from the beginning, with the possibility of war always hanging over them. As evident from the First Encounter, the collision of two societies will never immediately result in agreement. The Puritans and Native Americans had to work to get past that initial fear and distrust, and ultimately, they never were able to overcome it. The brutal mindsets that the Pilgrims ended up adopting don’t help either - the savagery that is born out of their prejudices eventually wiping out a population. The killing of Wituwamat serves as a gory turning point; after cutting off his head, the Pilgrims raise a flag soaked in his blood - a terrifying symbol for the violence they have stooped to. In William Bradford’s own words, during the Pequot War: “It was a fearful sight to see [the Pequots] thus frying in the fire and streams of blood quenching the same” (178). And yet Bradford views this as a victory, even “the work of the Lord.”
ReplyDeleteAlthough it’s very clear that none of the events of Mayflower could have taken place without the undeniable courage and sense of community that the Pilgrims displayed, the violence and war overpowers all of it in the second half of the book. If H. W. Brands had wanted to emphasize either of the other themes on this level, he would not have ended the story on the note he did: a summary of the atrocities committed by both Pilgrims and Native Americans, showing how quickly peace can descend into violence. By ending on King Philip’s War, the author is clearly highlighting conflict. The story is never redeemed from this description of incredible bloodshed, the epilogue only stewing in the statistics of it.
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ReplyDeleteNathaniel Philbrick's "Mayflower" mainly displays the themes of courage, community, and war. Although a community was needed to first embark on a journey, and start a new life, courage was a prominent theme in the story. Without courage, there would be no talk of the Mayflower, or pilgrims. However, it was because of the audacity of these brave men and women that we are even aware of their existence. To break away from your church is no joke. Back in those days, such acts were illegal, and could even mean death! The pilgrims determination is a true act of courage. They had to cross 3,000+ miles to go to the new world. To leave your house, families, and some even children may be an impossible task for many, as well as the 2 month journey to America. A journey where survival expectations were low, especially with the horrendous conditions of the boat. Passengers quickly faced famine, and death as the food supplies were diminishing, but this would not stop the pilgrims. As they arrived in the new world just months before winter, with diminishing supplies, and little knowledge of their surroundings, many already thought that this was the end. However, their landing would only be the beginning of something big.
ReplyDeleteAfter overcoming their obstacle of breaking away from the church, and arriving in the new world, the pilgrims now had to face the natives. Being in a new, unknown, environment, may have sparked feelings of fear in many individuals. Especially with the knowledge of natives nearby, who had the power to easily take away, and destroy all the hard work the pilgrims had worked so hard to achieve. As the book went on, the pilgrims began building a relationship with the natives. The amount of courage it took to trust someone who so many people feared, and hated. Especially with talks of the French being enslaved, and killed in an earlier expedition. They were soon able to agree to certain terms, and help one another be successful. Without this feeling of courage, and trust, the pilgrims may have ended up just like the French. Overall, courage helped the pilgrims overcome their obstacles, and persevere in dire times.
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DeleteNathaniel Philbrick's "Mayflower" mainly displays the themes of courage, community, and war. Although a community was needed to first embark on a journey, and start a new life, courage was a prominent theme in the story. Without courage, there would be no talk of the Mayflower, or pilgrims. However, it was because of the audacity of these brave men and women that we are even aware of their existence. To break away from your church is no joke. Back in those days, such acts were illegal, and could even mean death! The pilgrims determination is a true act of courage. They had to cross 3,000+ miles to go to the new world. To leave your house, families, and some even children may be an impossible task for many, as well as the 2 month journey to America. A journey where survival expectations were low, especially with the horrendous conditions of the boat. Passengers quickly faced famine, and death as the food supplies were diminishing, but this would not stop the pilgrims. As they arrived in the new world just months before winter, with diminishing supplies, and little knowledge of their surroundings, many already thought that this was the end. However, their landing would only be the beginning of something big.
ReplyDeleteAfter overcoming their obstacle of breaking away from the church, and arriving in the new world, the pilgrims now had to face the natives. Being in a new, unknown, environment, may have sparked feelings of fear in many individuals. Especially with the knowledge of natives nearby, who had the power to easily take away, and destroy all the hard work the pilgrims had worked so hard to achieve. As the book went on, the pilgrims began building a relationship with the natives. The amount of courage it took to trust someone who so many people feared, and hated. Especially with talks of the French being enslaved, and killed in an earlier expedition. They were soon able to agree to certain terms, and help one another be successful. Without this feeling of courage, and trust, the pilgrims may have ended up just like the French. Overall, courage helped the pilgrims overcome their obstacles, and persevere in dire times.
Nathaniel Philbrick's "Mayflower" mainly displays the themes of courage, community, and war. Although a community was needed to first embark on a journey, and start a new life, courage was a prominent theme in the story. Without courage, there would be no talk of the Mayflower, or pilgrims. However, it was because of the audacity of these brave men and women that we are even aware of their existence. To break away from your church is no joke. Back in those days, such acts were illegal, and could even mean death! The pilgrims determination is a true act of courage. They had to cross 3,000+ miles to go to the new world. To leave your house, families, and some even children may be an impossible task for many, as well as the 2 month journey to America. A journey where survival expectations were low, especially with the horrendous conditions of the boat. Passengers quickly faced famine, and death as the food supplies were diminishing, but this would not stop the pilgrims. As they arrived in the new world just months before winter, with diminishing supplies, and little knowledge of their surroundings, many already thought that this was the end. However, their landing would only be the beginning of something big.
ReplyDeleteAfter overcoming their obstacle of breaking away from the church, and arriving in the new world, the pilgrims now had to face the natives. Being in a new, unknown, environment, may have sparked feelings of fear in many individuals. Especially with the knowledge of natives nearby, who had the power to easily take away, and destroy all the hard work the pilgrims had worked so hard to achieve. As the book went on, the pilgrims began building a relationship with the natives. The amount of courage it took to trust someone who so many people feared, and hated. Especially with talks of the French being enslaved, and killed in an earlier expedition. They were soon able to agree to certain terms, and help one another be successful. Without this feeling of courage, and trust, the pilgrims may have ended up just like the French. Overall, courage helped the pilgrims overcome their obstacles, and persevere in dire times.
The Mayflower book covers a topic I know many people have covered in history class over the years of their education. We live in an area rich with knowledge and examples of that time. I had many expectations when beginning The Mayflower but the novel told a very realistic view of people from that time. Whenever I think of the people on the Mayflower it brings to mind calm and very religious folk, I did not know all the wars that went on in that time. There was constant fighting in the colonies, from Indians versus Colonists to one colonist versus another. The theme of war became very prevalent early on in the book. Looking back at the lives the pilgrims led, it does not surprise me that there were many wars. They had to fight for everything; food, shelter, land, homes, trade, and even their own survival. The pilgrims and the other colonists who came to the new world were not pulling up to a dock and walking down an already established road to buy a new house; they had to survive Indian attacks, find a place to set up camp, and build a community from scratch. To do this they needed to fight and struggle or else there would be no chance of survival.
ReplyDeleteThe most prominent theme in Nathaniel Philbrick’s, Mayflower is courage. It was courage that enabled the Pilgrims to travel across the Atlantic to this new world, where they had to build a new home from the ground up. It was courage that sent Samoset into the settlement at Plymouth. Where he greeted and welcomed the Englishman to his native land, despite not knowing any of their intentions except that they intended to stay. It was courage that allowed Squanto to convince his captive, the powerful Massasoit to befriend the Englishman instead of attack them contrary to popular belief. Bradford’s courage and love enabled him to overlook Squanto’s treachery and save this instrumental Native from the angry wrath of a betrayed Massasoit. It was courage that empowered Standish to go with just a small group of men and attack the 40 Warriors of the Massachusetts tribe who were threatening their settlement. While all of these examples had huge impacts on the future of the Plymouth settlement, it took courage for every one of the 102 surviving passengers on the Mayflower to step off that boat and onto this uncharted land. It took courage for these men and women to step outside there very houses, and while these seem like minor task it took a very special type of person to do what this first group of Puritans did here at current day Plymouth Massachusetts.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick is described as “a story of courage, community, and war” I think that really the appropriate subtitle would just be a story of war. When the Mayflower first landed outside of Plymouth, one of the main concerns of the Pilgrims was whether or not the Native Americans would be friendly, this is noted by Philbrick on page 70, where he says “Once ashore, the Pilgrims built themselves a barricade and a large fire.” Although there were undoubtedly other uses for the barricade, they certainly weren’t comfortable with no protection. As time went on they developed a friendly relationship with the Native Americans mainly based on trade, but as time went on and and the Pilgrims began to settle and find the things they had been trading for o their own, they were less and less reliant on the Indians to trade and the Indians became more and more reliant on trade to acquire the guns that the Pilgrims brought. To add to this, as the Pilgrims became more and more settled, they started to intrude on the Native American’s land which brought more tension between the Native Americans and the PIlgrims. This tension continued to build throughout the entire book as well as throughout history. Thus I conclude that the book is less about how friendly the Pilgrims and Natives or about how brave the Pilgrims were to venture to America, but more about the building of tension that led to King Philip's war.
ReplyDeleteThough Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower displays all three themes at various times, I feel that the most prominent and commonly recurring theme is that of courage. The Puritans wanted nothing more than religious freedom, and they proved that they were willing to go to great lengths to have this freedom. The Puritans mustered up the courage to travel as a group to the New World to start a new life, free of religious restrictions. The Puritans were not the first group to travel to the New World, and they had most definitely heard stories about colonies failing to survive, proving that survival is not guaranteed. It would be absolutely terrifying to travel to a place where “they had now no friends to welcome them nor inns to entertain or refresh their weatherbeaten bodies” (46) and would require insane amounts of courage. The English then had to create everything that they used to take for granted, such as a warm shelter or a valid supply of food. The English were not the only group to display courage, the Native Americans prove to have just as much guts. The Puritans were not the first European people that the Natives have seen land upon their shores and quite frankly the Indians must have been incredibly nervous as seen in the cautious manner they used around the Puritans during their early days as residents of America. The Natives had no reason to accept the Englishmen, as explorers in the past killed large populations of Natives through murder and spreading of European diseases. It took a lot of courage from Massasoit and his people to be willing to create serious relations with the Englishmen. Later in the book, both sides build up the courage to be able to trust one another. During King Philip’s War, many Native Americans were not on Philip’s side and would rather be fighting for the English. Later into the war when the English realized that they are going to need the Natives help to win this war, the English mustered up the courage to allow the Natives to fight with them. The English had to trust the Natives to learn better ways to fight in their current conditions which are extremely different from traditional English warfare. Without courage, the Puritans may never have left Holland and the history of America would be very different than it is now.
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ReplyDeleteThroughout reading “The Mayflower” by Nathaniel Philbrick, courage is the theme that stands out the most. The characters show their bravery from the beginning and to the end of the book. The Pilgrims were not afraid to migrate from England to Leiden. They knew they could’ve been killed but still strived to get their religious freedom. Soon after that, they decided to build a community in the New World. Their trip involved sickness, hunger, and many deaths. But the idea of a Pilgrim community helped them overcome all those hardships. Even when they landed, they had to stay tough and courageous. They faced a harsh winter, which caused more people to die from starvation and diseases. Valor helped them overcome those adversities. They were now building their Pilgrim community and creating good relationships with the Indians living nearby. That courage would be needed in many years to come. Pilgrims faced many challenges when more English started to come. The ones who came after the Pilgrims started to sell muskets to Indians. Also, they disrespected Native American culture and their ways of life. Many Indians were killed for stupid reasons and that caused a war. Now the courage was crucial to the existence of the English settlements. In the end, the English came out victories due to their courage, hardwork, and the ability to stay strong no matter what.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Philbrick's "Mayflower," the theme of courage stuck out to me the most. Even before the Mayflower expedition, the Puritans were brave in the fact that they had the courage to stand up to the hugely powerful church of England in the name of the Puritan faith. They in fact did the unthinkable by sailing to an unknown land "for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our King and country" (Philbrick 41). They had to leave everything they loved behind to go on a voyage that could've certainly been unsuccessful. The voyage of the Mayflower itself highlights the courage that the Pilgrims had on the rough seas. During a massive gale near the end of the Pilgrims' journey, "All seemed lost, when the pilot Robert Coppin cried out, 'Be of good cheer, I see the harbor!'" (Philbrick 73) Seemingly miraculous events like this kept the Pilgrims strong, as they perceived everything that happened around them as a sign from god. The Pilgrims' courage continues to stand out through many other events in "Mayflower," whether it be the Pilgrims' encounters with powerful Native Chiefs or the traversal of the unknown lands of New England. Whatever the case, it takes extreme amounts of courage to abandon everything one has in the name of religious freedom, but the Pilgrims knew that their journey was significant, and they would do everything they could to ensure its success.
ReplyDeleteI believe that courage is the most noteworthy theme in Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. With sailing across the ocean to seek sanctuary in a new land, there are inevitable obstacles present that would have defeated the Pilgrims if they had not been courageous. I agree with Madison Livermore when she says that the Pilgrims’ faith, described as “a most strict and sacred bond” (17), pushed them through these hard times. Knowing that they would finally be able to believe in the religion they wanted to, filled the Pilgrims with the courage they needed to succeed in the New World. Just the act of sailing across the ocean in hopes of a better life, completely blind to what was to come, displays immense courage. Not to mention the hardships they faced along the way of starvation and diseases, some so harsh that “entire villages became emptied of people” (79). Once in the New World, it took courage on both sides to come to terms with living alongside the Native Americans, foreigns with unknown capability to either harm or help the Pilgrims, and finally mustering enough trust and courage to work together. It took courage for the leaders to risk everything the Pilgrims had worked for and push them to continue fighting even in the worst conditions. These Pilgrims were willing to risk their lives for better ones, demonstrating so much courage that without it, they would never have been able to accomplish their goal.
ReplyDeleteI believe that courage is the most noteworthy theme in Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. With sailing across the ocean to seek sanctuary in a new land, there are inevitable obstacles present that would have defeated the Pilgrims if they had not been courageous. I agree with Madison Livermore when she says that the Pilgrims’ faith, described as “a most strict and sacred bond” (17), pushed them through these hard times. Knowing that they would finally be able to believe in the religion they wanted to, filled the Pilgrims with the courage they needed to succeed in the New World. Just the act of sailing across the ocean in hopes of a better life, completely blind to what was to come, displays immense courage. Not to mention the hardships they faced along the way of starvation and diseases, some so harsh that “entire villages became emptied of people” (79). Once in the New World, it took courage on both sides to come to terms with living alongside the Native Americans, foreigns with unknown capability to either harm or help the Pilgrims, and finally mustering enough trust and courage to work together. It took courage for the leaders to risk everything the Pilgrims had worked for and push them to continue fighting even in the worst conditions. These Pilgrims were willing to risk their lives for better ones, demonstrating so much courage that without it, they would never have been able to accomplish their goal.
ReplyDeleteThe Mayflower theme that stands out the most is that of community. The main goal was to build a community that these settlers had envisioned. Courage and war factored into the equation but the courage was motivated by creating the community and war resulted from the settlers ambitions to expand the community. They came over to America to create a community in which they could live the way they wanted to and practice their religion freely. In England they disagreed with the way society was run by the Church. They dreamed for a community that they could sculpt. They used the Native Americans to help establish their community in that the Natives taught them how to survive in the new land and keep society running well. Throughout the book it touches on how other settlements and attempts at community failed. This book explains how the community in Plymouth and the other ones established around it survived. The main theme is about the evolution of communities: establishing the community in the beginning; creating rules for the community; and finally expanding the community.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Mayflower I found that the theme of courage is the most prominent. The sense of courage the Pilgrims had is what brought them together to form a community and is what ultimately supported them when approaching war. As others have touched on, it took great courage for the Pilgrims to leave their comfortable lives behind and journey across a 3000-mile stretch of ocean to find religious freedom. If it weren’t for the Pilgrims’ bravery, the voyage would not have been possible. Many stepped aboard knowing the failures of other settlements, the dangers they could encounter at sea, and the uncertainty of whether they’d reach their destination. With so many questions unanswered these people left friends and family behind to embark on this journey because they shared a common goal. William Bradford and his wife Dorothy for example “decided to leave their three-year-old son, John behind” (23) for his safety and so his parents could follow their beliefs. Decisions like these was what makes the Pilgrims courage so pronounced.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of courage is found throughout their exploration of the new world. Starting with Christopher Jones’ decision to settle in the New England area instead of around the Hudson. Although the Pilgrims “were bound for a place about which they knew essentially nothing” (42) they valiantly came together to find a new place to call home. Miles Standish bravely led his men on serial explorations across the unfamiliar coast and experienced the first frightful encounters with the natives. The courage displayed by these men and many others along the way is what allowed the Pilgrims to build a strong community. From a courage based community they succeeded in building a settlement and develop a positive relationship with Massasoit and the Pokanokets. Taking the valiant leap of trusting the Native Americans eventually helped them survive their first winter and allowed them to set a strong foundation for their life in the New World.
In "The Mayflower; A story of courage, community, and war” the theme that stood out the most to me was courage. The people who set out on the Mayflower voyage had to have a boatload of courage. Their reason to venture to a new and unknown land was for freedom of their religion.
ReplyDeleteThe group of more radical Puritans, the Separatists from Scrooby, had a plan to set off to find religious freedom. When they set out to Holland “ a person needed permission to voyage to the Continent, something the authorities refused to grant religious nonconformists such as the Separatists” (13). The Separatist had to escape England “ For a group of farmers and artisans most of whom had rarely, if ever, ventured beyond the Nottinghamshire-Yorkshire region, it was a most daunting prospect”, (13) however this did not go well. The captain they hired turned the Separatists in to authorities, “After their leaders had spent several months in jail, they tried again”, (13) proving once again their courage to proceed -no matter the consequences.
Courage, by definition is “ the ability to do something that frightens one, is difficult or dangerous” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). The next opportunity for freedom was the migration to the new world. Having known this was a journey not for the faint of heart these brave souls set out on The Mayflower, crammed below decks on a boat for sixtysix days, with lack of food and water, and filled with inconsistent waters and weather. The 102 people aboard included two pregnant mothers that joined on the journey to religious freedom, with proof of courage to set off in a time so very dangerous for people, yet alone pregnant mothers. The pilgrims set out toward dangerous unknown and demonstrated great courage. “ They had sailed across a vast and dangerous ocean to a wilderness where, against impossible odds, they had made a home.”(198) The pilgrims could not have started this journey let alone finish it had they not possessed a massive amount of courage.
Community is the most prominent theme in the novel Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick because it was undoubtedly the foundation of American settlement. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, community is, “A body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests.” This definition perfectly describes the intentions of the Pilgrims that boarded the Mayflower in 1620. They left everything behind in Europe and had to immediately become reliant on complete strangers.The Pilgrims had to build relationships with one another as they crossed an entire ocean before coming face to face with unfamiliar land and people. Community was not only needed for building settlements, but without it, conflicts between the Native Americans and the settlers would have instead have been the Natives against the individuals, and America could not have possibly grown near to what it has become today. The Mayflower Compact is the dominant example of community because the Pilgrims were able to create a set of laws that appealed to them morally as individuals and also as a whole unit. This compact created a community that were able to work and live collaboratively and productively. Without a strong sense of community at the beginning of all American settlement and international migration to this newly discovered land, these colonists would not have been the foundation of America today.
ReplyDeleteThroughout their journey to a form a new society, the pilgrims are challenged in many unexpected ways. However through it all, they continued to come together and learn to rely on each other for support and survival. During their treacherous crossing the Atlantic, the passengers came together to care for one another when ill or in need. The sense of community among the passengers was so strong that Bradford wrote that “it pleased God, […] to smite” one “strong and arrogant sailor” who had been remarkably cruel to the passengers, with a disease that would eventually take his life. He even remarked that when this crew member was in his last hours, the pilgrims still cared for him. Later the pilgrims and “Strangers” that would accompany them in the new world, decided as a community that they would have to survive together. In the first few months they relied solely on each other for companionship, survival, and reminders of the life they left behind. Before they had contact with the native people they had each other. This created a sense of community that was difficult to break. As the story of the pilgrims continued it grew harder to define who was a “Stranger”. The theme of community became a part of them. The need to adapt and to grow with others allowed them to create the world we live in today.
ReplyDeleteThe subtitle of The Mayflower is the perfect, at summing up the pilgrim’s time in the New World. The theme that stands out to me the most is the theme of war. The pilgrims were constantly in a battle or struggle against everything. Even before the pilgrims left for the New World they were in a struggle with a government that didn’t want them, lenders and merchants that were trying to scam or steal from them. During the journey over to the New World the pilgrims were at war with the ocean, as they were thrown way off their original destination of Virginia. While on the passage, they were also in a war against time, the longer they were at sea the less rations that they had on board and the less that they had to start the new colony with. Even before the pilgrims reached America they were at struggling against multiple different enemies.
ReplyDeleteOnce the pilgrims landed at the New World was when they really started the battle. The second that they landed they were battling the oncoming winter and struggle was there to find any food that they could stock up on. The pilgrims were in a war against the nature, they were unable to find food and shelter that they would need to survive the first months let alone the first year. The pilgrims started a small war against the Indians that lived on Cape Cod by stealing their corn, looting their burial sites and their old houses. That first small battle in the woods against the Indians was just a minor precursor of the events to come. The pilgrims were also in a war battle over resources once other parties started arriving in the New World. The true theme of war comes out later on in the book during King Philip's reign, when there was a real war between the Indians and the colonists. Throughout The Mayflower the pilgrims are constantly at war against something or someone.
The most prominent theme in Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower was that of war. While I understand that the Pilgrims’ initial acts were extremely courageous, and that creating and sustaining the Plymouth settlement required communal effort, the English/Native conflict was ever-present and dictated almost every decision made by both sides. This theme also stands out to me because the conflict was not as simple as I had anticipated it would be. First off, Native loyalty varied between tribes. Many sachems were not willing to put their people through a war with the English, and tried their best to remain neutral during the fighting, and some chose to side with the settlers (which proved crucial to the English victory). Before I read Mayflower, I believed that any conflict must have divided the two peoples, and didn't realize that many tribes fought alongside the English. I was also surprised to find that racial bias did not cause King Philip’s War, rather, it evolved during it as a result of the savagery displayed by the Natives’ war strategies (i.e. ambush, torture, hiding in swamps). In reality, the war was caused by a conflict of interests: the English wanted the Native’s land, and the Natives wanted the English goods. Trading the two was not only unfair, but unwise and very shortsighted on the part of the Natives. Before they knew what had happened, their homeland was pulled out from underneath them and they were left with a handful of wampum beads. This part of the story especially surprised me. The English obtained the Native land through a simple barter system, not by oppression or force as I had expected. I thought that the war would be a last-ditch effort by the Natives to regain their land and their pride, and to push the English out of their territory, but the Natives practically invited the English to take their land. I also assumed that the Pilgrims would easily overpower the Natives because of their superior weaponry and strategy, but I was wrong again. The Natives not only had English weapons, they knew the land far better than the English did and outsmarted them in battle after battle. I thought it was guaranteed that the English would come out on top, but for a long stretch of time I was convinced the Natives could pull off a victory. King Philip’s War may have only lasted 14 months, but the dissension between the English and the Natives had been building for a long time, and would continue to affect the colonists long after the war ended.
ReplyDeleteCourage, community, and war are all prominent themes in the novel Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, but I believe, that overall, war is the most important and prominent theme. The theme is seen in both a literal sense of war (fighting against Indian tribes) and also a sense of overcoming adversity during the Pilgrims, Separatists, and Puritans fight (“battle”) for survival on land unfamiliar with them to create a community of courageous and religiously liberated people.
ReplyDeleteThe first nonliteral “battle” seen in the Mayflower was the Separatists fight for religious freedom from the Church of England. The second was the treacherous crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in which several passengers died of a variety of causes. The third and most challenging “battle” faced by the Pilgrims was the creation of a new civilization on the New World. They faced many different problems and were able to overcome almost all of them. They first had to create a set of laws, then appoint officials, create shelters, find food, etc. This was not an easy task especially for a group of people coming from a different continent who were unfamiliar with the new climate, land, and of course indigenous people. Then came the literal war against the Indians. The numerous tribes and alliances caused a mess of confusion for the new settlers. The Indians spoke different languages, had a completely different culture, and were just as curious and frightened of the pilgrims as the pilgrims were of them. This made it hard for the two groups of people to intervene and work out their problems. The Pilgrims fixed most of these problems by killing or threatening those who threatened them. When the Pilgrims first settled the Indians had the upper hand fighting because they were familiar with the area. Also the Pilgrims firearms were outmatched by the Indians bow and arrows because the guns took too long to reload. It took time for the pilgrims to become more familiar with the land; how to live off of it as well as how to fight on it. It took different techniques then the british were used to, but they adapted and by the time King Philip's War began in 1675 they were able to defeat their enemy Indians in a long gruesome war. Although the book does show themes of courage and community, it is the never ending conflicts, battles, and wars with the Indian tribes that stuck out in my mind as the main theme.
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ReplyDeleteI believe that courage was the most prominent theme throughout “Mayflower”. It took a great deal of courage for the Puritans to even dare to try to create a new home in the New World (considering so many others’ attempts had failed), and it took them even more courage to trust Merchant Adventurers and Strangers to help them with their long voyage. “From the beginning… they demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience” (17) by knowing the dangers of what lay ahead of them but still venturing forward. The Pilgrims also displayed tremendous courage when they dared to stay in Plymouth after the first winter (even though they were succumbing to disease and starvation), and align themselves with Massasoit and his tribe. Native Americans were seen as savages by most Europeans, and considering that the Pilgrims stole many items from the Natives, it was very courageous of the Pilgrims to put their trust in a Native tribe. Courage was also displayed by the Pilgrims when they realized that Billington was kidnapped by the Nausets. William Bradford gathered and went off to save Billington even though they knew they were “venturing back into potentially hostile territory” (111). Because the Pilgrims were courageous enough to overcome their adversities and work together, they were able to become one of the first successful settlements in New England.
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ReplyDeleteThe three themes of community, courage, and war all play prominent roles in the Pilgrims' settlement in the new world. However, the theme of war stands out far from the rest as it affects almost all aspects of life in Plymouth. As soon as the settlers arrived from Europe they had to be constantly thinking about relations with the Native Americans. Establishing alliances with Massasoit and the Pokanokets was a strong first step because if they had not made this alliance they could have easily been wiped out with their disease stricken and depleted group. The settlers had to be extremely cautious with everything they did as not to disturb the other tribes. War was always on their minds as one mistake could ignite anger in the Narragansetts or the Nausets for example, bringing unwanted war. War consumed the lives of almost every young man. With such a small population almost every family was directly affected by the consequences of war. Following Massasoit's death there were many years of unease as his son Alexander was killed and the new sachem Philip created many problems. A conflict with John Winslow eventually led to a war that engulfed the entirety of New England. This war tested the strength of the colonists and their will to succeed. Although they needed a strong community and courage to have success, war completely controlled the colonists' lives during the King Philip's War. Many people sacrificed their lives to keep New England alive and if it weren't for them our country today may not have been the same.
ReplyDeleteThroughout Mayflower, the predominant motif is war. There is constant conflict between different groups of Native Americans and pilgrims. Even at times when peoples such as the Pokanokets are at peace with the pilgrims, there are constant undertones of plotting, mistrust, and acting purely on greed and self-interest. The pilgrims and the Native Americans are never truly friends; they only negotiate for the purpose of bettering themselves. With people like Squanto aiming to pin Massasoit against the people of Plymouth, frequent rumors of tribes such as the Narragansets planning to strike, as well as occasional attacks, the tensions are always high. As the story progresses, these tensions develop into full-fledged warfare. At this point in time, with the exception of a couple “friend Indian” tribes, all Native Americans become the enemy of the white people, who become interested in killing any Indian they see. This begins to create a mutual hatred based on race. During King Philip’s War, thousands of people from both sides are senselessly killed just for the sake of power and vengeance and simply due to whether or not they are white or native. While I whole heartedly believe that war is the underlying theme, I also believe that people tried to use community and courage as means of justification for their fighting. As a pilgrim, to fight was considered a noble and courageous act done in order preserve their people, other Puritans. However, the fighting itself seems rather purposeless. Overall, it’s just a series of immense killings spurring from hatred and a desire to display dominance.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading “Mayflower”, by Nathaniel Philbrick, I noticed that community was a dominate theme throughout the book. From the very beginning the story the Pilgrims embarking on this trans-Atlantic journey felt a sense of community because they were a group of religious separatists who had the common goal of seeking religious freedom while maintaining their English roots. A sense of community was then extended as the Puritans were forced to sail with the non-Leiden Strangers (people sent aboard by the merchant Thomas Weston). While sailing with the Strangers, the Puritans recognized that it was essential for the two groups to work together and therefore wrote the Mayflower Compact that would “combine [them]selves together into a civil body politic, for [their] better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid” (41). After the voyage, the Pilgrims continued to demonstrate the importance of community as they risked their lives and worked together to find a suitable place to call their home. Once they decided that Plymouth Harbor should be the place of their settlement, the Pilgrims had work as a team to ensure their survival. The women scavenged for food and looked after children while the men built houses and hunted.
ReplyDeleteAfter barely surviving a harsh winter, the pilgrims yet again exhibited how coming to together as a community ensures survival by agreeing to help the native Pokanokets whenever they required assistance. By forming this alliance, the Pilgrims reduced their chances of a Native attack and greatly increased their chances of surviving in land that was unknown to them. As a result of working as a community with various people throughout the book, the Pilgrims were able to create one the first successful settlements in the New World. Conflict and war was sometimes a necessary evil the Pilgrims tried to avoid, and courage is something people only found by coming together as a community.
As I read Mayflower, I found that courage showed itself far more often than community and war. From the very beginning, the Pilgrims were courageous in every venture they undertook from moving to Leiden to sailing the three thousand miles to a new and unknown land. Religious life in Amsterdam, despite being less repressive than in England, made, “it … impossible for the new-comers from Scrooby to avoid becoming embroiled in these quarrels if they remained in Amsterdam” (16). Therefore, the Puritans moved to Leiden wherein they purchased a house to act as their center of worship. While there were difficulties to living in a foreign land, being held together by only the bonds of faith, “when circumstances turned against them, they demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience; indeed, adversity seemed to intensify their clannish commitment to one another. Once established in Leiden, they acquired a renewed sense of purpose – despite, or because of, the hardships of exile” (17). Once they realized they could not stay in Leiden, they again showed incredible fortitude in finding and securing a vessel, and then setting sail and not giving up despite a multitude of setbacks.
ReplyDeleteEven once they had landed in the New World, free of any and all religious constraints, there were still many difficulties to overcome. For one thing, all the delays they had experienced had caused them to arrive many months later than they had planned, leaving them with low supplies and no shelter on the brink of their first New England winter. Just getting to shore was a potentially deadly expedition, for, “the tidal flats along the shore were becoming more than just a nuisance; as the temperatures dipped to well below freezing, their wet shoes and stockings began to freeze. ‘Some of our people that are dead,’ Bradford wrote, ‘took the original of their death here’” (65). In addition to contending with nature for survival, they also had to contend with the natives, some of whom they discovered to be less than friendly. Their first real encounter with Indians, Miles Standish and his expeditionary group were along the shoreline when, “one of the men burst out of the trees and came running for the barricade, screaming, ‘They are men – Indians, Indians!’ Suddenly the air was filled with arrows” (71). Despite all these setbacks, dangers, and even deaths, the Pilgrims lived on in the New World and established their Puritan colony that they had originally set out to create.
Community is the most predominant theme in the Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick. No matter the circumstances, the notion of community consistently presents itself throughout the course of the book. In the beginning, the desire to obtain a community where separatists could practice their religion freely is what motivated the Pilgrims to set out on the Mayflower. The Pilgrims were driven from the Nottingham-Yorkshire region to Amsterdam, and then to Leiden. In all three places the Pilgrims did not belong, which caused them to seek out new communities. Eventually, it was decided that the only place where they could have a new and free community was to travel to the new world. "As.. their children began to lose touch with their English ancestry, the Pilgrims decided it was time to start over again."(17) Not only is their religion fading, but their children are losing their nationality, thus tearing their little community in Leiden apart. Ergo, the expedition to America was born.
ReplyDeleteThe desire for community not only pushed the Pilgrims into action, but it kept them strong through difficult times. Even before they set out for America the Pilgrims were bonded together by "a most strict and sacred bond."(17) This bond kept them together during their migrations across the UK, and it ensured their commitment to each other as they made the brutal journey across the Atlantic. The Pilgrim community may have never been as important as it was when they first arrived at Plymouth where the need to work together was at its greatest. Through the ruthlessly bitter winter the Pilgrims survived by building their community from scratch, with nothing to help them but each other. Therefore, even with starvation, illnesses, and Indian attacks taunting the Pilgrims, their strong sense of community allowed them to persist through all hardships and survive.
Once war struck the New England colonies, what were once strong communities were turned into heaps of burning timber. Nevertheless, a few towns were able to remain strong and make the adaptations necessary to win the war. For example, Benjamin Church was able to strengthen his small fighting community by integrating it with Native American warriors which inspired several towns across New England to consider doing the same with their citizens. With Native Americans helping the English end the war, communities were able to find a new sense of unity with the Natives, thus ensuring the peace across New England. Overall, the theme of community was the most prominent because it initiated the Pilgrims' journey and it kept their communities strong through times of war and hardships.
The story of the Pilgrims settlement on Cape Cod is a story of community. The goal of the Pilgrims was to create a utopian society where they could be exempt from religious persecution and have greater economic prosperity. Meanwhile, courage is a necessity to set up a community, it is not the goal or purpose for the creation of the Pilgrim colony. Also, war is a political tool which became, unfortunately, common to resolve matters with rivaling Native American tribes. The original Pilgrims, excluding the Adventurers and the Strangers, “[came] to America not to to establish a great and powerful colony, but to create a tightly knit and godly community” (184), as as seen by the intentions of Governor Bradford, one of the first governors for Plymouth. The goal was to create their religious society and it carried down to descendent generations. For example, Benjamin Church went out of his way to hunt down the man who brought together the Narragansett and Pokanet trives against the Pilgrims. Pilgrim generals and governors were always worried about the structure and demographics of their community, therefore they never failed to lose sight of their societal goals.
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