Why do you think Hawthorne was interested in Bradford's account of Merry Mount and its history? How, perhaps, does the history and demise of Merry Mount contradict or, at least, significantly alter the historical image of Puritanism that often accompanies descriptions of America's colonial past?

Why do you think Hawthorne was interested in Bradford’s account of Merry Mount and its history? How, perhaps, does the history and demise of Merry Mount contradict or, at least, significantly alter the historical image of Puritanism that often accompanies descriptions of America’s colonial past?

Why do you think Hawthorne was interested in Bradford’s account of Merry Mount and its history? How, perhaps, does the history and demise of Merry Mount contradict or, at least, significantly alter the historical image of Puritanism that often accompanies descriptions of America’s colonial past?

reference:

Melville, “Bartleby, The Scrivener: a Tale of Wall Street” (1154-1183) • Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity” (92-103)