Essay On Anne Bradstreet: To My Dear And Loving Husband

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Essay on Anne Bradstreet
Living in the theocratic Puritan society of the 16th century in Massachusetts, women suffered in silence. Nothing was acceptable except for religious activities. Anne Bradstreet attempted to change the hierarchal and the sexist aspect of the Puritan society through poetry. In her poem, "To My Dear and Loving Husband" (Warn 4), Anne's self- deprecation portrays her suffering cleverly to show her resentment towards puritan norms. Ann describes her love for her husband ironically reflecting her opinion about true love.
"My Dear and Loving Husband" is one of the many poems written by Anne Bradstreet in 1641 that describes to modern readers the Puritan attitudes towards many issues of love, marriage, and God (Myles 347). Anne's poem to My Dear Loving Husband describes Anne’s true love which makes her challenge the Puritan traditions (Myles 348). Puritan women were not permitted to express their feelings openly. However, Bradstreet expresses her obligation to show her husband of her true devotion (Myles 351).
In her figurative language, she conveys her message that seems to show some contradiction. Anne uses sharp-witted strategy to exemplify the contradiction of love specifically; she illustrates her conflict with love (Jordan 999). On the surface, Bradstreet appears to be declaring her using a series of statements that are well construed to declare her unconditional love in her marriage.
When reading her poem closely, she reveals the opposite when she says “if ever man were loved by the wife”. This could translate to mean that she clearly doubt if love is unconditional by using the word “if ever". She also talks about how love is unpredictable and mysterious "this love is such I can no way repay" (Warn 5).This would mean that her husband's love is so effusive, but could also mean that her husbands' love is not worth when she uses the word such.
When she cannot understand the puzzle of love, she expresses her doubts of a perfect love. The paradox in her explanation is evident when she illustrates her futile search for an unattainable and unavailable love when she stated that "while we live, in love let's so persevere. That when we live no more, we may live ever " (Warn 5).
At some point she informs her husband to continue loving her in order to fulfill Gods promise after death, according to Bradstreet, they would be rewarded with eternal live and also love. Her statement is a true reflection of the firm beliefs of the Puritans. She further writes that "I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold" (Warn 6). She refers to her husband as a valuable possession.
"If ever two was one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee; if ever wife was happy in a man," (Warn 6).The above lines included in her poem is more like an oath that married women during her time recited to portray their sincerity (Jordan 1003). The surface interpretation would make the reader conclude that Bradstreet poem sincerely portrayed her true love. However, with careful analysis o...