Bradstreet On Infant Death: Was God Justified?
             The death of a child, parent, relative, or any loved one-especially an unexpected passing-is usually followed by a period of mourning over the deceased. Religion and faith, when received into one's life during this time of grieving, can be a source of guidance and reassurance. As in modernity, those living in Colonial America experienced similar occurrences and emotions, yet on a much more regular basis. Though death was generally looked upon as being part of God's will, there were those who harbored some form of confusion or resentment towards a God which frequently interrupted lives. More often than not, these feelings were resolved. Through analysis of works by Anne Dudley Bradstreet, this essay will show that, even though death sometimes caused a Puritan Christian such as Bradstreet to struggle with the fairness of early or unexpected death, which could be viewed as undermining basic Puritan doctrine, loss was ultimately viewed through the lens of Christianity and not seen as total or final, but as part of God's will.
             Anne Bradstreet, having come to America in the early 17th century, experienced loss throughout her life. From witnessing fire destroy her home to grieving over the deaths of numerous grandchildren, she struggled over how Puritan dogma instructed her to react and how any person experiencing loss can begin to harbor mild to extreme resentment of a God who creates such trials. Bradstreet, though loving of her God and religion, subversively engages in a struggle to come to terms with death and needing to trust God's plan. Further, being among the earliest published authors in Colonial America, she translated these emotional struggles into prose and verse.
             After the loss of a grandchild, Bradstreet penned "In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet, Who Deceased August, 1665, Being a Year and Half Old." Alluding to the...