Jane Gilmore Rushing

The shores of America were a magnet for those seeking religious freedom. Anne Hutchinson, educated mother of 13 at the beginning of this story, moves with her entire family to Boston, so that she can remain under the teachings of John Cotton, who now makes his home there. So inspiring are his sermons that she soon finds herself talking about them to groups of women in her home. Those groups grow in size; Anne’s expositions grow outside the bounds of what the local puritan leaders consider proper. They accuse her of antinomianism and familism. Anne accuses them of keeping their people tied to a concept of salvation through works. She declares that only John Cotton has gotten it right in speaking about the ‘covenant of grace’. It becomes a battle of words; Anne is brought to trial. Cotton, caught in the middle, eventually joins the John Winthrop faction. Anne and her family are excommunicated and banished.

That’s the story, a matter of historical record. The author did an excellent job of portraying the real persons involved in the antinomian controversy of the 1630s. In this telling, Anne Hutchinson is written as a remarkably sympathetic character. The people, their motivations and reactions felt real, with the exception of one small happening that seemed out of character for Anne. The setting of the Massachusetts Bay Colony also seemed very real, as did their way of living through the various seasons.

There is one portion that was confusing. My notes show that on page 146 John Cotton has become sick and then dies. Later on he is very much a part of the story again. I couldn’t find much online about the author; was her work abandoned before completion and then picked up by someone else later for publication? I didn’t have time to finish typing up the parts I wanted to keep for reference before returning the book to the library. But, I do recall that she had a very good author’s note at the end of the story. And one of the things discussed is events on the timeline of reality and how she had to adapt the timeframes to include everything in the story. Perhaps that John Cotton portion fell through the cracks whilst working that all out.

Of interest, in her author’s note, Ms. Rushing says: “Writers on this subject have occasionally presented Anne Hutchinson as a feminist. I do not see her that way. Although persons concerned with women’s rights may appropriately find in her an inspiration, I have not seen evidence that she gave significant thought or effort to changing the established view of women. The passion of her life was bringing the truth of God as she understood it to men and women equally.”

A historical fiction reader interested in the Massachusetts Bay Colony or puritanism would enjoy this book. I did!… (meer)