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What are the Puritan beliefs and practices in The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Speare?

The Puritans believed in religious dedication, modesty, and conformity.  When Kit arrived in Wethersfield, she soon realized that going to Meeting was an important routine.  When she declined to attend shortly after her arrival, her uncle was displeased.  He insisted that she "forget her popish ideas and attend Meeting like a God-fearing woman" (The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Chapter 5).


Kit brought her many trunks full of fine, colorful clothes to Wethersfield.  Many of her clothes were made from silks and satins.  When Kit arrived at the Meeting House, she noticed that "the majority [of the congregants] were soberly and poorly clad."  Her own cousins and aunt wore simple dresses in muted colors.


Conformity was essential in Puritan society.  Those who broke laws or rules were punished, sometimes severely.  Nat and his friends were put into the stocks and banished from town for the crime of vandalism.  Those convicted of witchcraft could be banished, branded, or even hung.  

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