say that he wants it. Without it, he misses being
able to glorify God on earth and in heaven. Of
course, the garment itself is a metaphor repre-
senting salvation. Describing it as something to
be worn helps the reader to visualize a change in
the speaker, particularly in light of the way the
speaker describes the pattern and color of the
cloth in the second stanza.
Meditative Poetry
‘‘Huswifery’’ is a meditative poem because it
conveys Taylor’s religious reflections on a spe-
cific topic and connects introspection and self-
understanding with inspirational truth. The
speaker connects his own reality and humility
with God’s glory, and he does so through an
extended metaphor of spinning, weaving, and
sewing. The speaker describes his understanding
of himself and his personal flaws in light of the
greater divine. Meditative poetry is strongly con-
nected to the metaphysical poetry of Taylor’s
time, and other poets who wrote in the medita-
tive genre include John Donne, George Herbert,
Richard Crashaw, and Henry Vaughan.
Formal Diction
The Puritans were not casual about their reli-
gion, and they certainly were not casual in their
prayers or worship of God. In Taylor’s poem, his
formal diction is indicative of his reading of the
King James Bible, his religious seriousness, and
his deep respect for the God he serves. The tone
and word choice are all formal without being
pretentious. This balance of humility and for-
mality brings the poem a sense of nobility and
reverence. For its discussion of salvation and
servitude and glory, the speaker keeps his emo-
tions under control and his words carefully
chosen. Modern readers may see this as his
being aloof from the God he is addressing, but
it is best understood as the speaker being well
educated yet knowing his place with respect to
divinity. This same balance is evident in the
poetry of George Herbert, Gerard Manley Hop-
kins, and even William Shakespeare.
Historical Context
American Puritanism
Few images are so closely associated with the early
settling of America as are those of the Puritans.
They originally settled in Massachusetts under the
leadership of John Winthrop in 1630. They saw
the New World not just as a place of opportunity
where they could live in an ideal community but
also as a wilderness where they could bring the
gospel. Puritans were congregational, which
meant that it was important that they lived very
near to one another. With the community physi-
cally tight, participation in church, elections, and
community support were accomplished more
easily. It was also easier to keep members account-
able, in consistency with the Puritan emphasis on
morality and rule keeping.
Because their society was held together by
their common beliefs and spiritual discipline,
they opted to establish their communities as ones
centered on their shared Puritan beliefs. Although
the Puritans are often depicted according to
sharp stereotypes, the roots of these perceptions
are the Puritan intolerance for other belief systems
along with their overall seriousness and emphasis
on morality and justice. As Calvinists, Puritans
adhered to ‘‘covenant theology,’’ which empha-
sizes a person’s covenant with God (called a ‘‘cov-
enant of grace’’) and a person’s covenants with
other people. A Puritan person’s covenant of
grace secured his salvation, which he would share
publicly in order to be made a member of the
church. Church membership had spiritual impli-
cations (such as the right to participate in the
Lord’s Supper) and civil implications (such as the
rightofmentovote).
The Puritans left an important mark on
early American literature because their writing
captured the struggle and the spirit of these
fledgling communities. The poetry and sermons
aptly reflect the experiences of early settlers.
Puritan literature is notspontaneous or experimen-
tal, but rather is carefully crafted and regimented.
While poets like Taylor and Anne Bradstreet man-
aged their personal expressions, their poems are
rich with purpose and discipline. The sermons
that have survived are historically significant in
giving great insight into the beliefs, priorities, and
passions of these communities. Drama is notice-
ably absent in Puritan literature because they
regarded playacting as an immoral pastime, and
fiction is largely absent until later writers such as
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864), who used the
Puritan setting to explore human nature.Metaphysical Poets
Taylor is often associated with the metaphysical
poets, and ‘‘Huswifery’’ is an example of whyHuswifery