The Grizzly Saints vs. the Gay Sinners: How does Hawthorne portray the characters in the "Maypole of Merrymount".

I believe that Hawthorne is more partial to the people of Merry Mount. He portrays the Puritans in a more negative light from the very beginning. In the first real mention of the Puritans in "The May Pole of Merry Mount" is right after Edgar and Edith, Lord and Lady of the May get married. In the story Hawthorne tells how "Two hundred years ago, and more, the old world and its inhabitants became mutually …

…bombastic in their view and beliefs. Hawthorne portrays the Puritans as the bad guys who came to ruin the merry life style on Merry Mount and impose their own beliefs on the people of Merry Mount. Even if the merry life style was just a façade to cover up their unhappiness and mask their problems; aren't people allowed to deal with problems in their own way and to live life as they see fit?